Our Messed Up Lives
by memoranda
Summary: Sequel of My Messed Up Life. WARNING: Blood, beeped-out swears, excessive use of the word crap, country lookalikes, extremely powerful bombs, rare blood types, attempted suicide, and some pretty tough choices. NOT your typical OC story.
1. Lauren, no!

**HALLO. IF YOU ARE READING THIS, THEN YOU ARE READING THE SEQUEL OF MY MESSED UP LIFE. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ MY MESSED UP LIFE, GO READ IT NOW, BECAUSE YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. THE AUTHOR DON'T EVEN GET IT THAT WELL, AND SHE WROTE IT. THE AUTHOR CONFUSES HERSELF. AND SHE LIKES TO TALK/TYPE IN THIRD PERSON.**

**Okay, third-person-talking-slash-typing-with done. But seriously, if you haven't read 'My Messed Up Life', you should read it. It's really confusing with many plot twists and such. Yeah.**

**So, flames are accepted, but they are not much appreciated. Nice-nice reviews are better. :3 Un. I like happy reviews. **

**So, without further ado, here is the first chapter of "Our Messed Up Lives'! *holds up hands for applause* *cricket* *pouts***

**Lol. I'm kidding. About the cricket thing. Not about this being the second book. It is the second book. **

**Have I confused you yet? :3 Oh, just wait...This story is gonna get a lot more confusing...*evil laugh***

**Ow! My brain doesn't like that idea.**

**The Germania and Roman Empire thing is MysticDayze's idea! I just thought I should credit her. :3**

***songs off-key* On the road again...I just can't wait to get off the road again...I don't know the words to this song...I just want to get off the road again...**

***sighs* I'm borrred. I've been sitting in a car for at least three hours now... -_- My butt hurts. On the bright side, I have Pocky! *noms Pocky* Hopefully my computer batteries won't die while I'm typing. By the time I am able to post this, I'll be off the road and in my new house. (Not telling where, you stalkers, you) Nyeeeeeeh. *noms Pocky like Poland* Bite! Nomnomnomnomnomnomnomnom...**

**Hey, guess what I see out the window! **

**Grass.**

**And cows.**

**And Road.**

***sighs* at least I've got my dinosaur laptop! **

**Feel free to ignore all the ANs. I'm just having trouble focusing. :3 So, yeah. **

**Oh well. Roll film!**

Third person

In the clouds, Germania watches grumpily as Rome withdraws; he is singing about how the perfect world would be if all the cooks are French again, and Germania is mad. Why does that idiot do that? The Roman empire doesn't exist anymore, therefore, he shouldn't be able to let that Veneziano character see him. Yet, the blond does wonder how he does it.

His red cape flutters as Rome skips up to where Germania is watching disapprovingly. "What? My little Ita-Chan loves to hear me sing!" he pouts.

Germania growls. "You just don't get it, do you? You're not supposed to see him; he isn't supposed to see you. What part of that don't you understand?" Rome smiles blankly. "The part where I don't get to see my Ita-Chan. Don't you ever get the urge to, like, see Germany?

"I'm sure that my grandson is just fine on his own."

"My Ita-Chan seems to think otherwise," Rome says slyly. Wait-... When did Rome get clever?

Narrowing his sharp blue eyes in suspicion, Germania asks, "What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing," Rome sighs nonchalantly. "Just the fact that he's gone, like, psyco and is trying to take over the world."

Germania is taken aback. His Ludwig, that sweet, quiet child, is trying to take over the world? What would compel him to do such a thing? Shaking his head, he decides that Rome has finally lost it. "I don't believe you," he deadpans.

"You don't think so? Go and check for yourself."

"No!" Germania shouts. "That is against the rules, and you know it. I will not stoop to your level."

"Awwww," Rome whines. "C'mon, Germania, they only see you if you say something!"

If it is possible, Germania's eyelids narrow even further. "Like, I'm not lyin'," Rome says. Germania glares at him; the idiot always cracks under his death-glare. But, Rome's amber eyes never leave the shards of ice that are the Germanic empire's, showing that he is being- for once- truthful.

"I swear, Rome. If you get me in trouble, I will-" Germania's threat is cut off as he drops- is pushed- into the hole where the nations can be seen. This is Germania's first time in the hole; curiosity had often tempted him, but he always had the willpower to obey the rules, until now. Why had he given in so easily?

The hole is like a small control room; computers of all shapes and sizes take up nearly all of the space, leaving Germania to squeeze uncomfortably into the leather chair. How do these modern contraptions work again? After much confusion and silent ranting, Germania learns that it is a touch screen.

Silently, Germania zooms in on his grandson's house. Nothing has really changed. It is still the same prosaic house that Germania remembers. Clumsily, the former empire fiddles with a knob on the side of a pair of headphones, tuning in to listen to all the sounds coming from the mansion, trying to listen to anything out of the ordinary.

He hears the sound of many soldiers walking along the halls. He hears the sound of someone cooking in the kitchen. These are not strange sounds. Germania accidently rolls the knob all the way down, so he is listening to sounds in the basement. He is about to change it when he stops and listens intently; someone is crying.

The blond is surprised. His fingers reach for the screen again, and he zooms in more; into the house, into the basement. A night-vision setting is immedietely applied to the dark room. He doesn't see much at first, but then he spots a little girl huddled in the corner, trembling and sobbing. A small puppy growls at a person whom Germania thinks is in a blue suit, but the person ignores it. He can see the man crouch next to her, a hand running itself through moonlight-spun hair, only to have his other one be bit by the dog. With a pang, Germania recognizes his eldest grandson. The blond has to slap a hand over his mouth to keep himself from talking to his Gilbert. Why wasn't Gilbert here in the place for forgotten nations? Prussia doesn't exist anymore. The only sensible solution at the moment is that people must still believe Prussia is there.

Prussia seems to be trying to calm the trembling girl. That's odd. Germania doesn't have any memories of Prussia being kind to anyone. Still, there on the screen, Prussia is doing his best to bring comfort to the young girl. Faintly, he can hear Prussia's throaty voice saying, "Calm down. You're Issa's sister, right?" The girl looks up at the name, and replies in English. "_Wh-What did you do to her? L-let her go! Leave her alone, or I'll- I'll..."_ The girl has a high, quiet voice that shakes from cold and terror. She is trying to appear brave, but is not succeding. Germania can see unkempt brownish-red hair that curls slightly on the tips surrounding the girl's face. She seems to be at least ten years of age, eleven at the most.

What startles Germania the most is the fact that he doesn't know why she's here.

Prussia sits next to her, and she tries to scramble away; there are chains pinning her to the wall, again, for an unknown reason. "It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you. Here," Prussia says while pulling a bottle of red liquid from his pocket. "Drink some of this. It's medicine."

The girl doesn't seem to speak Japanese or German, so she has no idea what Prussia is saying. Noticing this, Prussia puts the bottle in her hands and withdraws a flashlight. He flicks it on and shines it on the label. The girl, whom Germania believes to be an American, blinks in the sudden change of light, pushes the bottle of cough syrup away from herself, and picks up the small puppy whom had bitten Prussia earlier.

"Look, girl, I'm not like my butt-head of a _bruder_. I'm not going to drug you, so, just drink this and feel better. It's unawesome to be sick. Besides, I haven't opened it yet," Prussia says, offering her the medicine again. Germania is shocked at his eldest grandson's words.

"I'm not like him..."

"I'm not going to drug you..."

Germany has been drugging humans?

Prussia's voice makes Germania snap back to reality. "What's your name?" he receives a blank look. "Name. Name," he says slowly and clearly. When that fails, he points to himself. "Gilbert," he says, waiting for her reply. The girl wipes her eyes but remains silent. The puppy growls in a high pitch. Prussia suddenly puts his hand in his silver hair again and brings out a small yellow bird, whom Germania remembers to be called Gilbird. The little canary doesn't want to leave the warm nest of hair for the musty cell, so he flies off of Prussia's palm and burrows himself in the girl's long locks. She jumps and bats once at the place where he disappeared, but stops as she finds him to be sitting on her head. The girl buries her head in her knees, most likely hoping this would scare the bird away. Gilbird, however, seems to enjoy the warmth of the girl, and hops on her shoulder. She yelps as he chirps contentedly in her ear.

Prussia smiles at her jump; the girl stares at his pointed teeth, her eyebrows furrowing more in confusion than fear. Prussia reaches behind him and offers the girl a blanket emblazoned with the Prussian flag. Without waiting for her consent or denial, he wraps the blanket around her shoulders. She shakes her head and pulls it off, throwing it back at him. She shoos Gilbird off her shoulder and leans against the wall on one side of the corner, hiding her face in her hands. Prussia tries once again to give her the blanket, but the dog growls menacingly at him. "_Ja, ja, _you're terrifying," Prussia yawns to the puppy, patting it on the head and ignoring its angry nips at his hand.

"I'm not going to give up, y'know. I'm too awesome to give up," Prussia sighs as he, too, leans against the wall. The girl finally whimpers two syllables. "Renae."

"What? Renae is your name?" Prussia asks, his scarlet eyes gleaming with joy in the dim light. Renae seems to ignore him as her fists clentch the fabric of her shirt. One hand comes up and pulls a clothespin from her hair, letting it fall over her eyes. She clips the pin to her shirt and fiddles with a necklace made of paperclips around her neck. Germania is too shocked at this youngling's pain and suffering to notice her odd fashion statements. Why would Germany do this? Is this a repeat of what happened in World War two? That time, it was only because Germany had a sadistic boss. Is this the case again?

A hand reaches into the control room and yanks Germania out by the back of his clothes. He hears a deep voice ask, "What were you doing? You know the rules!" Germania mentally groans; he is face-to-face with his boss. No one knows who exactly the boss of the forgotten nations is. Many think that he is the Olmec Native Americans. Others believe he is the Celtic people. Everyone just calls him 'Boss'. Germania thinks that he is so old, he doesn't even remember who he is. The Boss always wears a black suit and dark sunglasses. His moustache is very large and bushy, and it is hard not to laugh at it when he talks. If you do laugh, you get socked in the face.

"Sir," Germania carefully starts. "Do you know what my grandson has been doing down there?" The boss scoffs. "Did he go all Nazi again?" Germania nods, shakes his head, and then shrugs. "I don't know, sir. That is a possibilty." Germania can see Boss' eyebrows furrow in what he hopes is confusion and not anger. "Wait here," he gruffly commands, and then he jumps into the control room hole. Germania whirls around and spots his soon-to-be victim. "ROME!"

Said empire smiles cluelessly at the furious Germanic. "Heeeey, how was-" He never finishes his sentence, because Germania's fist slams into his jaw. Rome is comically thrown into the air as his shriek resounds around the room. When he lands, Germania presses his foot on his cape, preventing him from running away. "What. Was. That. For," he growls at the helpless former empire on the ground. "Hey, like, I could say the same thing!" Rome complains, rubbing his jaw. "I told you not to get me in trouble!" he indignantly says, pressing his boot farther up Rome's cape, closer to his neck. "GAK! Dude, get off, you're hurting me!" Rome squeaks. Germania lets out a very loud and obvious sigh and steps off his friend's cape. "Why did you tell Boss?" Rome laughs annoyingly. "I didn't, silly. Lights go on whenever someone's in there." Germania facepalms. "Why. Didn't. You. Tell. Me. Sooner," he asks through gritted teeth. Rome shrugs. "I thought you should see for yourself what's going on down there."

Germania sighs. He knows that Rome is trying to look out for him. Boss climbs back out of the control room. "You two," he says, pointing at them. "You're going on a little mission."

Germania's expression morphs into that of shock and confusion, but Rome snickers quietly to himself at the sight of Boss' bouncing moustache. Boss seems to be glaring at him, but it doesn't hold much effect to the Italian. So, Boss' gloved hand curls into a fist as he lashes out, punching Rome on his nose. "Who's laughing now?" He coldly asks, watching a slight trickle of blood drip from his nose. "Sorry!" Rome whimpers, using his cape to soak it up. Germania chokes back a laugh; Rome has deserved that for decades. "So," he says, breaking the silence. "What, exactly, is our mission?"

"Stop Germany," Boss answers, still rubbed the wrong way from Rome. Germania stands in shocked silence. "Wh- you mean, we're going to Earth?" Boss nods. "One problem, though. I can't send you there like you are now. It breaks too many laws of nature as it is, but I have the strength enough to make you appear as children." Even as he says this, the room starts to fade. When the only thing Germania can see is black, he hears Boss' voice. "Good luck. You'll need it."

Germania hears the frightened wailing of Rome, and he loses conciousness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Issa's POV

While I walk, lost in my thoughts, I bump into yet another person. Looking them in the face, a smile takes over my features, and I exclaim their name in joy.

"Zack!"

I embrace him firmly, tears of relief and happiness flowing down my face as I bury my face in his shirt. "You're okay! Are you hurt? What happened? How did you escape?" I babble loudly to him before closing my mouth, remembering that he can't understand me. I jump in shock as he begins talking to me in the same language.

"Oh my gosh, I've missed knowing what you say!" he laughs while returning my death-squeeze.

"What happened?" I demand again, tugging on his shirt. "Is Renae alright? Did you see Josie?"

His face darkens, and he looks away. "I'm sorry. I couldn't get to her in time. I'm sorry."

I put my hand over my mouth in shock. "They- They...killed...?" Zack shakes his head. "No. It's just...I-...I should've...tried to save her before I...escaped."

"It's okay," I reassure him. "It's not your fault. You did everything you could." Zack doesn't seem alright with it though. "No. I'm sorry. I should've..." I shake my head. "It's alright, Zack. I'm not mad at you. You tried your best, and you got back. I wasn't expecting you to go all heroic again, anyway. If you ever try that again, by the way, I'm going to kill you." I smile, telling him with my expression that I'm teasing. He brings the corners of his mouth up; he still seems to feel guilty.

"So," I start. "How did you get away?"

He closes his eyes. "Well...So...They zapped me with that translator-gun-thingy and brought me out for some reason. Didn't tell me why. They left the door open on accident, and when they turned around, I ran for it. Nearly shot me, too." He points to a hole in his sleeve, where a bullet had, indeed, passed through. "I ran in the woods. Came out and I saw the house." Zack's voice sounds nonchalant, but guilt is still evident.

"Hey," I tell him. "There's some people I want you to meet." Without a word, I take his hand and drag him back down the hall. I turn the corner, and _slam!_ Lauren runs me over.

"Ow! Lauren, you're stepping on my hair. Get off," I complain, pulling on her socks. "Oh, sorry, Issa," she says, stepping off my hair. She backs away a few steps and bumps into Zack. "Oh. Sorry, America. Hey, what's wrong? You look down. What did Iggy do to you?"

I laugh. "Lauren, this is Zack."

Lauren gapes at me for a second, then pokes Zack. "You sure? He looks a lot like America."

"Yes. I'm sure. America can't act like that."

America's voice floats down the hall. "Hey!" he whines.

"Just testing your range!" I call back carelessly.

Zack smiles. "I'm really Zack."

Lauren drops her voice to a whisper, and I have to strain to hear what she's saying. "Okay, Zack, listen well: I swear, if you break Issa's heart, I. Will. Bloody. Murder. You." Then, she backs away smiling, saying, "Nice to meet you! Issa's told me all about you!"

Zack looks stunned. "Lauren!" I protest. "What?" she asks innocently. "I didn't do anything." She drops her voice to a mumble. "...yet..."

"That's two death threats today..." Zack smiles. When Lauren stares, he clarifies, "Issa said she'll kill me if I 'go all heroic again'."

"Nyeeeh, why can't people just get along?" I whine, pulling on Zack's hair.

"You two are the ones threatening to kill me!"

"True..."

"Oh!" Lauren exclaims. "I just remembered- Jia Li's here!"

"What? Really? Where?" I ask.

"Question!" Zack says while raising his hand. "Who's Jia Li?"

"The China lookalike," I supply, taking his hand again and following Lauren. We find Jia Li in the living room, sitting next to China; she doesn't seem to trust anyone else. I see Lauren blush deeply when she sees Dimah.

Jia Li jumps up when she sees me, runs, and hugs me. "_Ni hao_, Jia LI!" I say, embracing her, as well. "Jia Li, this is Zack." I say, pulling him into the spotlight. Jia Li looks between me and him, noticing our similar appearances confusedly. Then she looks at China and shrugs; if she looks like China, Zack can look like me. Or do I look like him? Or do we both just look like the North American brothers? Too much thinking...my brain hurts now.

**"Man, this story sure is slow today!" Lauren remarks. **

**"Great!" I yell, throwing my hands up in the air. "First Canada breaks the fourth wall, now you? There's only so much that duct tape can fix!"**

**"I'm sorry!" Lauren and Canada whimper as I mutter angrily to myself. I break out of my mood swing and eat a taco while riding Frank the narwhal. **

**A voice is suddenly heard through the ceiling. "Nyeeeeeeeh, Memoranda is boreeedddd...Oops, You guys aren't supposed to know I'm here! Look into the light, please!" A bright light flashes throughout the room and this extremely random AN never happened. o3o**

Shaking off my sudden headache, I start looking for the Axis lookalikes. I wonder how they're doing. I go to their room and knock on the door. "Hey. It's Issa," I call. I can hear Alex laughingly yell back, "Come in!" Sydney starts to protest, but I am already inside. Alex and Rin are both laughing at Sydney as she flushes a deep crimson. Sydney is wearing a dress that it looks like Alex and Rin poked her into. When she sees me, she says indignantly, "I didn't choose to wear this! _They_ made me!" she cries, alternating pointing an accusing finger at Alex and Rin. "But Sydney-Chan, you look so adorable!" Rin says through giggles of mirth. The dress that they found is a bluish-green color, and it has thin straps. You can easily see the bandages hiding the scars that run up and down her arms. The dress falls until her knees, and her black socks stick out of her tan boots. Her long, blonde hair is loose around her shoulders. She really does look good in the dress. Sydney blushes deeper as she sees Zack looking over my shoulder. "Oh crap, it's a person!" she yelps as she ducks into the bathroom to get changed. Zack grins. "I don't bite!"

Alex wipes tears of laughter from his eyes. "That was awesome," he declares. I smile. "Yeah. Guys, this is Zack. Zack, this is Alex, Rin, and Sydney," I point to the closed bathroom door as I say Sydney's name. "Hi!" she shouts when she hears her name. Sydney comes out wearing her black turtleneck and black pants. "Hate wearing dresses," she mutters to herself as she drops onto a bed. Rin and Alex both give a belated greeting due to Sydney's re-entrance.

"So, these guys are like us?" Zack asks. "They're supposed to look like the countries?" I nod. "Yup. Oh, hey," I ask on a sudden whim. "Just wondering- who's the strongest right now?" They kind of look unseasy. "I don't know," Alex says. "I've never felt these guys before...They both make me want to go to war...Like with swords and stuff. It's weird. I don't like them." Sydney and Rin nod in agreement. "Well, who's war-like?" Zack asks. I look at Lauren for help. She shrugs, and then we both gasp at the same time. "Roman Empire and Germania!" we exclaim in unison. "But...They're not here anymore, right? I mean, sure, Rome shows up and sings every once in a while, but Germania..." I trail off, thinking hard. As far as I knew, Germania hasn't appeared to the nations. I wonder where he is, and where he stays? And are there personifications for other dead nations, like Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia? And why is Prussia still here instead of with Rome and Germania? Ow. I gotta stop thinking so hard.

"I don't think it's Rome and Germania. I mean, like..." I trail off. "I don't really know how to explain it, but I'm pretty sure it isn't. Any ideas, Lauren?" She shakes her head. "No...Unless the zombie apocolypse is finally upon us. I gotta go borrow one of Switzie's guns. Be right back," Lauren says as she starts to walk off. "There's no zombies. It's fine," I say while laughing. Lauren is so funny.

"Question," Zack says again. "What's going on?" I sigh. "It's complicated. I'll tell you later." I look and see the Axis' wary expressions, and I add, "It's alright. He's not a bounty hunter, either." They don't seem very reassured.

Zack wanders out of the room, and Lauren follows. I am about to leave when Alex grabs my shoulder, stopping me. "Don't trust him," he warns. "Wha- why?" I ask, startled. "I don't know," he admits. "Something about him is just setting off little red flags in my head." I look over at Sydney and Rin for help. They shrug. "He's usually right," Sydney says. "'Usually' doesn't mean 'Always'," I remind them. "Sorry, Alex, but I trust Zack. He hasn't given any reason for me not to. If you're right, don't be afraid to tell me 'I told you so'." Alex nods, understanding my decision. "Alright. Just...be careful."

I nod, smile, and exit the room. Zack stands against the wall, taking deep breaths. "Zack? What's wrong?" He jumps at the sound of my voice. "N-nothing.I-it's just...I really...miss J-Josie," he says. Walking closer, I see a tear trickling down his cheek. "C'mere," I say gently, wrapping him in a hug. He stiffens slightly as he embraces me back, holding his breath to force back the tears.

Only real men aren't afraid to cry. **;)**

"Shh...It's okay...I've got a plan," I say, patting his back. He withdraws and glares at me, his eyes red. Before he can say anything, I explain, "No. I'm not giving myself up. I cross my heart and hope to die," I say while drawing an invisible 'X' over my heart. He hugs me again and growls in my ear, "You'd better not..."

"Speaking of plan," I say. "I should go get it started. Wanna come?" Zack shakes his head. "No, I'm good. By the way, you never saw any of that. I yawned too big, okay?" I laugh. "Whatever you say." I walk to the living room and plop down on the couch next to England. "Hey." He doesn't move. He just continues reading his book. "Hey," I say again. "Iggy" He. ignores me. "Dude. I gotta talk to you." I can see a muscle twitching in his forehead at the bad grammer, and he says, "Quiet, America. I'm reading." I poke him in the cheek. "I'm Canada," I whimper in my softest voice. When he doesn't look up, I grab a pillow and hit him on the head. "Iggy!" Finally he looks up at me in annoyance. "What? Oh. Hello, Issa," he yells, then quiets down when he sees me and not America. "What can I do for you?"

"I want to talk about plans," I deadpan. "What if we go and tell Germany that it's Russia, or someone strong like that?" England sighs and closes his book, and I catch the title. "'The history of tea'?" I ask, laughing. He glares at me. "Alright, alright. Reading about tea isn't weird at all," I say through giggles while holding my hands in the air in a gesture of surrender. He sighs and says, "Your plan might work, but that requires you giving yourself up. Which," he reminds me while giving me the angry-parent look. "you have promised not to do."

"Aw. Darn," I say while hanging upside-down off the couch. "What are you-" England starts, but I cut him off by saying, "I don't know." Lauren walks in and joins me in the same position, our legs dangling over the top of the couch. "What'cha doing?" England sighs. " What are you. Not 'What'cha'. Discussing stratigies and watching you two act oddly," he corrects, opening his book again. "When am I not odd?" Lauren giggles. "Good point," England says half-heartedly. Turning her head towards me, she asks, "What was your plan?"

"Telling Germany that it's Russia's blood instead of Italy's. But that won't work because that includes me going and giving myself up. Which I shall not do," I say.

Lauren stares at the underside of the coffee table and says, "That could work. But we'd need a replica of you." I sigh, gripping the fabric of the couch. "Where're going to get a replica of me?" Lauren is silent for a moment. "You're a replica of Canada," she reasons. "So, he's a replica of you."

"But I'm a girl," I say. "And I don't think Canada's leg is completely healed." Lauren nods, still upside-down. "Yes, that's right. Was that Cuba's doing? I forgot to ask."

"Yeah," I say. "Well, I was in Drama class back at my old school, and it was the more technical side of theatre," Lauren says. "I learned how to make a boy look like a girl." I look at her. "Really? How?" Lauren replies, "Latex. It was pretty fun to do, but I'm sure it wasn't that fun to have done to you. You can't move at all, and if you're doing something with the face, you have to put straws in their nose, and that's the only thing they can breathe out of."

"Yeah," I agree. "That doesn't sound like fun."

During this whole time, England is listening. "England, why are you easvedropping on our conversation?" I ask, pretending to whine. "I'm listening to you brainstorm. You're thinking in the right direction, I can tell." Lauren fakes a scoff. "Oh, so you know how to solve this?" she asks, poking his leg. "No..." he says slowly and carefully. "But I like the way that you're thinking. That's all."

"Whatever," I say. Lauren pipes up. "Well, I know how to use make-up really well. So, maybe I could go and fill in for you for a while." I stare at her for a long time before generally exploding. "WHAT? No, no, no. I forbid. Like, if-you-try-that-I'll-kill-you kind of forbid. Literally. That's a bad-bad-bad-bad idea," I say while flipping off the couch to land right-side-up on my knees in front of the still upside-down Lauren. "But can't I at least show you how well I can do it?" she asks. "I can't stop you from doing that. But I will do everything in my power to keep you from giving yourself up for me." Lauren waves an uncaring hand. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever," she says, flipping over and landing next to me. She pokes me and then runs off.

"That was rather odd," England comments. "Yep," I agree. "But then again, when is she ever not odd?" England laughs. "Almost never," he replies. "Yeah. But you gotta love her." He nods. "I'm rather proud she's my citizen. She has a strong mind, and she knows how to use it."

Dimah walks in, sees me and makes me stand up. "Oh. Hi there," I say, following him when he beckons me. "Bye, England," I call carelessly over my shoulder. He halfheartedly waves, lost in his book. How can he be so interested in the history of _tea? _ That's so weird, yet so funny.

I follow Dimah to a room and we enter. Then, someone jumps out of the closet, and I shriek in alarm. Then I laugh and say, "Lauren, you scared me!"

"Yes, that was the point!" she says. After she says that, I notice something. She has made herself look exactly like me, minus her hair. "Let me see your glasses," she says. I hand them to her, and the world goes fuzzy. "Waoh. You're like, blind," she says, her chocolate brown eyes blinking behind the thick lenses of my glasses. I laugh. "Yes, I know. I can't see anything," I complain, walking closer to see her better. Lauren says, "Wait a minute!" and runs off, still wearing my glasses. "I still can't see!" I call after her. Her fuzzy shape retreats into an adjoining room, and she closes the door. I take the time to wander around the room, but after a few steps, I run into a coffee table. "Ow! Maple!" I yelp, rubbing my shin. "Quiet, you," I say to Dimah, who is laughing behind me. I pretend to shoot him with finger-guns, and he dramaticlly 'dies' after twitching on the ground for a few seconds. Laughing, I call, "Lauren, your boyfriend died." She cries in mock anguish, "Nuuuuu!" I laugh and ramdomly sit on the ground right where I am.

I can see the door to the room that Lauren is in open, and then she walks out. I think.

"Lauren?" I ask, inching closer. "No," she says in a pretty good imitation of my voice. "I'm Issa." I stand up and walk until I can see her, which just so happens to be very close. I'm so blind. But, when she finally comes in to view, she has done a very good job. "It's like I'm looking in a mirror!" I cry, pulling on a strand of her short, brownish-blonde hair. When my fingers make contact with it, I notice that it's very coarse and stiff, the way a wig usually is. Frustrated with my lack of sight, I remove my glasses from her face and put them on my own. The world slides back into view. "Wow," I say. I hate taking my glasses off.

"So, what do you think?" Lauren asks, twirling in a circle. "You did amazingly!" I exclaim, looking closer at her face. She has on a lot of make-up, but instrad of making her look like one of those girly-girls, it makes her look like me without make-up. The only indication that it's Lauren standing there is the few chocolate-brown strands of hair that fall around her face. "You really think so?" she asks eagerly. "Yeah! This is so cool!" Even Dimah comes closer to inspect Lauren. He says something approvingly to Lauren, and she responds happily.

Zack walks in. "Hey, Issa. I just wanted to-" he stops and looks between Lauren and me. "What?" We both burst into laughter. Lauren takes the time to imitate the way I place my hand over my mouth as I laugh. "Okay, who's who?" Zack asks, walking closer. "You'll have to find out for yourself," Lauren says, masking her British accent well. I notice that she pretends to not be able to see very well, squinting her eyes. I never realized this before, but she has color contacts in, turning her brown eyes sky-blue.

"Uhhhh..." Zack circles us, trying to make a decision. "...You're Issa," he declares, pointing at Lauren. She smiles. "You got me!" While Zack fist-pumps, Lauren looks at me with a 'Wow, this make-up is better than I thought!' expression. I laugh. "Well, c'mere. I wanna talk to you," Zack says, pulling her out of the room. "Oh, wait," she says. She goes into the other room and comes out with a repilca of my glasses, and then she exits with Zack.

"Okay, not weird at all," I say to myself (Dimah can't understand me), walking curiously into the room where Lauren got her wig. I see a lot of make-up and a crap-ton of other wigs of varying age and use. I decide to experiment with the disguises; maybe I can make myself look like Lauren. As I reach for a wig that looks similar to Lauren's hair, I hear the door open and close, indicating Dimah's exit. I shove my hair messily into the wig, tucking some extra strands of my hair into it. Looking into a mirror, I see that I have properly used the wig, so I start to apply make-up. Let's see...Lauren has darker eyelashes than me, so I'll need some mascara...Maybe a different shade of the blush; I'm so pale...I sneeze once when I open a powder jar of eyeshadow, but luckily I don't blow it everywhere. I don't feel like teaching myself to use contacts or to even rumage through the mess to find any, so I settle with just putting them in a case, which I stow in my pocket. Soon, I feel satisfied with the disguise, and I leave the room, looking for Lauren. My eyes gradually grow accustomed to the blurriness; I can't see perfectly, or very well at all, but at least I can see what is in front of me.

I find Lauren sitting in the living room again, annoying England; he, too, has fallen into the trap of mimicking. I put on my best British accent possible as I walk in. "Hello, people." I notice France in the opposite doorway, talking to Canada. I run and glomp him from behind. Then, I formally pick myself up and sit next to the real Lauren, ignoring the "Onhonhonhon~~~" coming from France. "What's up?" England, not noticing anything, picks up his book again and says, "Talking to Issa about plans again and watching you tackle that frog. Why do you do that?" he says, looking at me confusedly. "He's so cute when he wants to be!" I chirp, doing an imitation of Lauren well, if I do say so myself. "Exactly," Lauren says, using her real voice. "Yeah, that was fun!" I say in my own voice. England looks at us, confused. "Wha- I just- You were- ...What?"

Lauren and I laugh at England's bemused expression before I explain. "Lauren and I switched places," I say as I replace my glasses on my face. England feels my wig. "Well, I must admit. I am impressed. I do believe we have the answer to our problem, if Lauren chooses to accept." We both look at him, and he alternates stares right back. "Wha'chu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" **(I NO OWN!)** I ask. England ignores the terrible grammer and says, "Lauren could make a distraction by pretending to hand over the blood while someone goes and frees Josie and Renae. It's basically the plan that you had, but Lauren goes instead of you. Her blood isn't important. Ah, no offense," he adds in her direction. "None taken," Lauren replies, waving a hand after straightening the wig. "Problem," I say. "I told Lauren that she's not doing this. I'm not going to let her." Lauren shakes her head. "No, I want to help. I want to save your sister and Josie," she protests. "But what if Germany figures out it's you?" I ask. "Well, it's my desicion," Lauren says, folding her arms over her chest. "I'll follow you and scream," I stubbornly say. Lauren snorts. "What good will that do?" I retort, "It'll stop you from going far." She replies, "Yes, but it gets us both captured."

"Which is bad," England interjects.

"SHH!" we both yell at the same time. He blinks at the loud noise and waits paitently for us to argue ourselves out. We bicker for a few more minutes before Lauren exclaims, "I'm going to help, and you can't stop me!" I glare at her. She glares right back. I sigh disapprovingly and lean back, letting my head rest against the top of the couch. "I don't want you to. You might get hurt." Lauren shrugs. "I'm always up for an adventure. I'll be fine. I promise." She then reaches over England and pokes me repeatedly. "What are you doing?" I ask. "A friend told me to," she says, pulling her hand back. "Whatever," I huff, still unpleased. What if Germany finds out? What will he do then? Will he hurt her? Kill her? I would hate myself for all of eternity if that happened. And what if we don't get to Renae and Josie in time? Is Germany serious about killing them? Why is he like this in the first place?

So many questions; so little time...Literally.

"So," England says to break the awkward silence. "Let's get you ready for a mission." Lauren smiles and does a salute. "Yes, sir!" I follow them into a room, where Austria is sitting; he also is confused with our disguises. England explains, and, sadly, he approves. So, Operation Switch-Lauren-with-Issa is a go. Austria leads us to a room with a lot of computers and high-tech stuff and starts leafing carefully through them. He brings out a golden pin th the shape of a rose. "This allows us to see and hear what you do," he explains as she attaches it to her shirt. "And this," he hands her a small orb. "allows us to talk to you. It goes in your ear." Lauren puts the little ball in her ear. "I think that pretty much does it for the electronics..."

"Oh," England says, reaching in his pocket. "I haven't the slightest why I have this, but another won't hurt." He brings out a bracelet with a Union Jack charm. "It has microphones and cameras and such. Just a little cushion to fall back on. An extra precaution," he says, helping her with the clasp. "Alright," Austria says. "Let's make sure everything is functional." He sits in a spinny chair and turns on one of the computers. Austria pulls out a handheld microphone and says into it, "Hello? Is this working?" As soon as he talks into it, Lauren screams and bats at the side of her head. "Loud! Very loud!" she exclaims as soon as the little speaker is out of her ear. England chuckles, and I remain silent, still unhappy with her choice. It is her decision, and she really wants to help, but I don't think I could take it if she got hurt because of me.

After we found the correct volume setting for the earpiece, Austria flips a switch, and I see his back on the computer screen. Lauren, noticing this, comes closer, curious. She looks down at the rose pin and waves her hand in front of it. On the screen, a giant hand paws the air. "That's so cool!" she exclaims. Austria then types something on the keyboard, and a second video screen comes up next to the first one. This one's vision is more blurry, but only because this is the one on the bracelet. "Go out of the room and talk normally," Austria orders to Lauren. She nods and exits. A second later, I can see on the screen that she is in the hall. "Can you still hear me?" he asks into the microphone. "Yes," she says. "Good. Everything is in working order. Please come back in," Austria says. Lauren enters. "You do not have to do this," Austria reminds her. She looks at me, and I advert my eyes. "I know. But, question." she raises her hand. "How am I going to get out after I get in?"

We are all silent for a moment. Then, I pipe up. "Prussia," I say. Austria's head snaps in my direction. "What?" I explain, "Prussia doesn't like what Germany is doing. He tried to help me when I was first kidnapped. And he didn't tell Germany it was me when I...uh, ran away. Yeah...my disguise wasn't as good that time," I say sheepishly. "So, if he finds out that you're not me, then tell him that you're a friend. I'm pretty sure he'll help you." Lauren nods. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

Austria says, "You're not going to invite him here, are you?" Lauren laughs. "Are you afraid of him?" Austria shakes his head. "No, I'm afraid of what Hungary will misinterpret." Despite my mood, I laugh, and I hear the yaoi-fangirl giggle of Hungary from the hallway, which makes me laugh harder. My nerves are so stretched that I'm almost slap-happy. Either that, or I truly am bipolar.

"Do we want to send one of the lookalikes, or should we have Russia or someone go with her?" England asks after Lauren and I have sobered. "I like Russia," Lauren says. "Alright, then. Issa, would you please go find him?" I nod and leave the room. Before I can go far, someone pulls me into the shadows.

"Hey!" I yelp in protest, but the person puts their hand over my mouth. "Shh," the person says. "I need your help, Lauren." I finally recognize the person to be Zack, and he still thinks that I'm Lauren. So, Lauren I will be. "So, why couldn't you have just approached me like a normal person?" I ask after pushing his hand away. He looks around nervously. "I can't. I can't tell you why, either. But please, just keep Issa away from me," he begs. "What? Why?" I ask. "I can't tell you, but, please. I might end up accidentially doing something bad to her." I scoff. "And what would that be?" He frantically shakes his head. "I can't tell you!"

"I won't tell her," I promise. Of course I won't. He will, but he won't know. Zack shakes his head franticly. "I'm really sorry, but I can't tell you. Just make sure she doesn't come near me!" And with that, he runs off. Odd, I think as I stare at his retreating back. He's being weirder than usual. But, if he might do something bad, then maybe I should stay away.

I find Russia playing 'house' with Alina in a room, and I mentally squee at how cute they are. It's funny how different Alina and Belarus are. "Russia, c'mere," I say. He nods, bids Alina and Vera, who is standing and watching them play, goodbye, and follows me. "So, are you willing to help Lauren break into Germany's house?" Russia looks uncertain. "She will not try to marry me?" I laugh. "I can't promise that she won't glomp you a few times, but I'm pretty sure that she won't try to marry you." He doesn't look entirely reassured, but he agrees nonetheless.

England fills him in completely when we get to the room, and then he agrees whole-heartedly, which makes Lauren grin, and then he kinds shys away. And then I laugh. And then Lauren laughs. We laugh. Then I stop laughing, remembering the situation. Which makes her stop laughing and frown. It really is amazing how much she looks like me right now.

"Are you ready?" I ask. She nods and grins, but it's not her usual grin. "You're nervous," I point out. "Nope," she says. "Yes, you are. You're straining your smile. Maybe if you didn't smile so much, I wouldn't know when you're straining it," I tease. She makes an exaggerated frowny-face, and then we both laugh. "Alright, fine. I'm a little scared," she admits. "But then again, I've already died, so, how can I die again? Maybe I'm a cat. That means I have eight lives left," she says. "If you are a cat, the most you want to worry about is Greece. It's like, BOOM! Instant death-cuddle!" I joke. That makes us both laugh. It's funny how much you life when you're in a life-or-death situation, or when your friend is in a life-or-death situation.

And when you think about that, it makes you laugh even harder.

"Okay," England announces. "Are you ready?" Russia and Lauren nod. "Oh, and Russia, you should have an ear piece, too. And a camera." England hands him an earbud and a Russian flag pin. When they make sure that those are working, they start to leave. "Wait," Lauren says. She walks over to me and hugs me. "Imma be fine, alright? Whatever happens is for the best."

I embrace her back and sigh. "Just...try not to die, okay? I mean, again. That would be bad."

"Yes, that would be rather depressing. I am the awesome-ist person in the world, after all," she laughs. "Oh, I don't know about that," I joke. "I think I could give you a run for your money." We laugh one more time, and then they teleport away. England, Austria and I walk back into the control room and look at the screen at the cameras. Nothing unusual so far, just approaching. They don't try any secret entryway. They just walk up to the front door. When the psyco himself answers it with a cruel smirk, Russia evilly smiles back, holding Lauren by the upper arm while she pretends to be dazed. "I want to help you, _da?_ I have been waiting for world domination, but I think it might be lonely with just me. So, the girl and my blood, and all you have to do is be my right-hand man," he deadpans, playing his role well. So well that I wonder if he really is acting, and that thought scares me. But then again, he knows that he is with Lauren and not me, and my momentary doubt vanishes. "So, what do you say?" Russia purrs.

Germany's sadistic grin widens. "I say 'Welcome to the team', Russia." Both of Lauren's cameras bounce around violently as she is dragged into the house. "You're doing great, love," England whispers into the microphone. Russia's voice is coming from the computer screen again. "She tried to bring me here by force, stupid girl," he says. Lauren's cameras blur again; Russia gave her a little shake to emphasize his point. "Easy, now, Russia. Don't hurt her," England murmurs into the microphone. Russia says, "She said something about a sister. If you have her, why don't you let her go? It is so much more fun to try to see them run away before we crush them," Russia suggested. Germany seemed to think about it for a while. Then, he casually walked to the door and locked it. Lauren's cameras tremble.

"I have a better idea," he says while pulling out a gun and pointing it at them. "Why don't you hand over the spy wear?"

**DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNN...**

**XD Why do I ALWAYS end on cliffies? It's like I have this weird inability to end on a calm note! IT'S SO HARD TO DO. I think cliffies are just better because it makes you want to read more. :3**

**SO, Imma try to do questions from now on instead of kisses. And I really don't mind if you ramble. I like to read stuffs. **

**1. What do you think Zack is up to?**

**2. If you had nine lives, would you do anything you want? If so, what would you do?**

**3. What's your favorite spy movie? **

**RANDOM QUESTION: How many stuffed animals to you have on your bed?**

**4. What do you think Rome and Germania will do?**

**5. Do you think Prussia will help Russia and Lauren?**

**Okay. I think that's it. :3 This took me, like, a week to write. I'm not even kidding. This was my only source on entertainment in a two-day car trip. And when my computer died of me, I was all, ". WHY DOES THE WORLD HATE ME?"**

**Kinda sorta. Let's just say my grandparents think I have 'special needs'. :3 Lol, I'm joking. **

**Maybe. :3 ^_^ **

**So, I am at my new house. And I don't have wi-fi. So... I'm gonna go to the library cause they have free wi-fi. So, if you are reading this, I have found wi-fi. XD Nyeeh. I have to go to school soon. I don't wanna go to school. I wanna stay on the computer and type FOUR-EVAH. **

**XD**

**Then when my computer dies Imma go all angry-Cuba. Then Imma cry like Ukraine. Because I like to write. **

**...I'm just kidding! GOSH! DON'T STARE AT ME LIKE THAT!**

**XD I'm kidding about that oo. **

**Byeeeee! **

**OH LOOK A REVIEW BOX! **


	2. Lauren Watching

**Helllllooooooooooo~~~~~~~~~ How is you? I is good, thank you...**

**AND Thank you to Tabby-tan, InsanityAintOptional, el18m, xXRedPokerGirlxX, MysticDayze, fireflame1801, CelticGirl7, KittySue69, hetaliaforever123, and TheRoxelShow for reviewing! :3 You guys is awesome. Like, PRUSSIAN awesome. I'm not even kidding. SO. Art and Soul wrote Lauren's POV for what happened, so, yeah. Go read it 'n' stuff. Cause she's Prussian and stuff, too. She's mah frieeeeend. o3o**

**Okay, show of hands. Who else thinks algebra should jump in a hole and die? Only me? Seriously, crayons can melt on algebra for all I care. **

**"IIIII...JUST WASTED...TEN SECONDS OF YOUR LIIFFFEE!" ~~'Crayons can melt on us for all I care' by Reliant K. o3o :3 **

**So...yeah...XD**

Issa's POV

Terror washes through me as I watch Germany outstretch his hand for the spy devices. "No!" I shout, lunging at the screen as if I could jump through it and pull Lauren and Russia to safety. "No! Lauren! Russia! No!" I yell, shaking the monitor like that would do anything. A pair of arms wraps around me, and I struggle, despite the voice telling me in a British accent to calm down. When I realize that it's England restraining me, I stop in fear that I'll reopen his wounds. Going limp, I clutch the sleeve on the nation's shirt and tremble, staring in horror at the computer screen. "How? How did he know?" I whisper, not removing my gaze from the screen. England reaches over me and grabs the microphone. "Do not give them to him, do you hear me? Pretend you don't know what he's talking about," he orders.

Lauren remains silent, but Russia says, "What are you talking about?" Germany grins cruelly. "I had detectors made. You can't bring any camera or microphone in here without my knowledge," he says while waving a small box covered in green dots. The dots move sometimes. "Now hand them over or suffer the concequences." He presses the hammer down with his thumb and the gun makes a clicking sound. England hesitates, unsure of the advice to give them. Should they hand over the cameras and stay safe or get hurt while delaying the cameras' confiscation? Finally, he says, "Give them to him. I know, it sounds crazy, but it's not worth getting shot. We'll assemble a team and get you two out soon, don't worry." And with that, all of the cameras are blurry due to the amout of movement. I bury my face hopelessly into England's shirt, wary of his injuries. "Hold on..." he says. When I look up, he's squinting in confusion at the screen. Three of the four cameras are black, but Lauren's bracelet-camera is still on. A wave of relief washes through me; at least we had some sort of visual. "Thank you," Germany mockingly says. I can't see much because of the movement on her camera. Then, it focuses on green, the color of Lauren's shirt. I can see that her hands are behind her back, and Germany is tying them there. "Bondage, much?" Lauren teases. The shaking pauses, then continues faster and harder as a snarl of annoyance is heard from Germany. "ONHONHON I 'AVE TAUGHT HER WELL!" a heavily accented voice yells from over my shoulder.

SMACK!

England releases me and hits France with all his might. Instead of watching the comical nations, I see the cameras shake more; Lauren is led to a room and shoved ungracefully inside. After a large amount of grunting, rolling, camera-quakes, and an assortment of other noises and movements, Lauren's camera is free. After a few minutes of silence, Lauren's voice is heard.

"_Sekai de~ ichi-ban ohime-sama!"_** (I am the number-one princess in the world. World is mine by Hatsune Miku. :3)** Then, "I'm AWESOME!" Out of the corner of my eye, Austria glares at the screen, irritated at her choice of words. After a mixture of silence and more singing, Lauren cries, "OI! Potato-Jerk! I'm hungry!" and a bunch of other nonsense in an Italian accent, but the word 'Weapon' does catch our ears.

Moments later, Japan rushes in and Lauren's camera shakes, indicating movement. When Japan bows, it's safe to assume that this is what she did. Well, I guess my ridiculous friend is going to blow the whole operation with her fangirl spasms...Knowing this, I almost facepalm, but that requires taking my eyes off the screen; they're actually starting to water from lack of blinking. I don't even want to know what would happen if she meets Spain...or Romano...

Poor nations...

"If I may ask, what is your secret weapon?" I hear Japan say, his smooth voice scratchy from the bad microphone quality.

"MY MOOSTACHE OF DOOM!" Lauren shouts. The camera jerks upward, revealing Japan's face- they seem to be the same height. Or close. Lauren's so short...

A few minutes later, the camera shakes again and is consumed by darkness- I assume the worst, but I listen for any sounds indications, when Lauren says, "I'm alright. If you're worrying, don't. I'll continue my mission of world domination later...If you can hear me, Russia has been seperated from me. Someone contact Romano. Tell him his brother is in danger. See what happens...When he finds out it's Potato-Jerk's fault...I'd love to see him in person..." The darkness is moved as her shoulders do, the the scariest face I'd ever seen on Lauren's -my- facial features flashes on the screen. Her 'WORLD DOMINATION! MWAHAHAH!' face is simalar to France's 'rape' face.

I do worry about her, like I am right now, and no, not (just) her sanity. I told her not to go, and now look what happened. It's my fault for dragging her into this mess. What if Germany finds out that she took my place? That won't be pretty...It also makes me worry more that I can't talk to her; I can only sit back and watch whatever may happen, and I don't like it.

Lauren suddenly begins laughing, and I detect a sort of a hissing noise behind it...then, she begins talking to...someone? Something? Again?

"T-Teacup?"

Pause.

"Why did you come back?" She sounds so troubled...and slightly irritated, though still in character.

Pause.

"She does so!" An indignant tone crosses her imation of myself.

Another pause.

"Because I just got here!"

Yet another pause.

"You just got here too, didn't you?" Her tone is skeptical.

Pause.

"...Was it you who brought me back?"

Silence.

"Tell me!" she shouts. Who is she talking to?

A long, silent pause.

"...Thanks, then," she says quietly, gratefully.

More quiet.

"Right," she says, elogating the syllable, indicating more skepicism.

Lauren continues talking to herself for a few more minutes before she shouts, "YOU TOLD ME TO DO IT!" in a voice angrier than I've ever heard her use. And I saw her when France ate her cookie. That was NOT pretty. I'm serious, he almost died from Lauren's wrath.

I had no idea that someone's arm could twist that far back.

"Watch your mouth, you idiotic-" Suddenly, the door slams open, and Lauren ceases arguing with the voices in her head. "Who are you talking to?" a voice that I recognize to be Germany's demands. "I talk to myself." She's being honest. I've often seen her in dark corners, muttering to herself.

The camera quivers violently, and then it's still, but the only thing that's showing is something white and fluffy. A pillow.

"DON'T PLAY GAMES WITH ME, ISSA! WHO ARE YOU COMMUNICATING WITH?" Germany roars. "If you gotta know, Potato-Breath, I'm talking to my guardian angel, Lauren," she says sarcastically.

I almost facepalm again, but I watch intently again as Germany jumps away. Lauren raises the camera to show us...

...Germany's rainbow boxers...

"***Le German Beep! :3***! WHO WAS THAT!"

Germany pulls out a knife from his pocket, preparing to give Lauren a real scar. I feel myself tilt towards the screen in horror, as if I'm watching a scary movie. "Tell-me-who-did-that-or-I'll-" Germany's threat is cut off, and the camera blurs again; Germany lets out a cry of anguish. Lauren, what did you do?

"You little...!" Germany literally can't make a coherent sentance as he doubles over and begins to cough violently. He stomps out of the room that Lauren is trapped in, and the camera reaches down for the dagger that he conviently left in his rage. Lauren...stuffs it down her shirt...

Something wet trickles onto my shoulder; France has some nose problems...Which are only increased with the smashing of England's fist on to his face. But as soon as the green fabric was there, it's gone again. The camera shudders and reveals Lauren's lips. "I swear France, if you think anything about that, I'll get another corn cob specially for you," she hisses. France stops 'Onhonhon'ing. **(In an earlier chapter of Lauren's story, Lauren beats France up with a corn-cob. :3 You'd know that if you read it.)**

"Wh-wha-" England sputters. "Don't ask," I dully respond, not taking my eyes off the screen. Lauren seems to be curled up on her bed now.

"My hands hold tightly to my dreams...clutching tightly, not one has fallen...So many years have shaped each one...Reflecting my heart, showing who I am...Now you're asking me to show...What I'm clutching Oh-so-tightly...Can't open my hands, can't let go...Does it matter? Should I show you? Can't you let me go...?"**(Surrender by Barlowgirl)** she sings with a pitiful excuse for a smile, her brown- er, blue- eyes closing in consent. I smile, but it fades when I realize that a tear is running down her face. "What have I gotten myself into...?" she mutters to herself with a hardly audible laugh.

The door bangs open again, and Lauren jumps up, using the hand the camera is on to wipe away the tear.

"I have arrived! And I am AWESOME!"

A girly squeal emits from the speakers, but from whom, I'm not entirely sure...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Germania's POV

I raise my hand to wipe sleep from my eyes, and I immedietely pull back; since when has my skin been this...soft? Before I can think about that too much, Rome flops onto my stomach, causing me to cough violently in pain. "Get off!" I cry. Suddenly, I slap my hands over my mouth. My voice isn't normally that high-pitched...

I sit up and fling my eyes open. Where am I? What happened? What's wrong with me? I look at Rome and recoil, choking back a cry of shock. This is a child. What is a child doing here?

While I stare, the child's eyes flutter open lazily, and I notice the same color as Rome's. Looking closer, I notice that this boy is wearing a replica of Rome's clothes. He even has the same unkempt, curly brown hair as Rome. "Germania?" the child asks in a higher-pitched version of Rome's already high-pitched voice. "R-Rome?" I stutter.

"_Si!_" he exclaims sleepily, rolling over. I sigh impatiently and feel my face again. The skin is so smooth...Why is that? I almost yelp again as I feel my hair. It's short. Like, Rome's-length-short. How-?

"Rome, wake up!" I hiss in this unfamiliar voice. "Something's wrong!" His eyes open again, this time quickly. "Protect the pasta!" he shrieks, wildly flailing his arms around. "Shh," I say, putting my hand over his mouth. "I don't know where we are, and I don't know how we got here, so I need you to shut up!" He goes limp and looks up at me from his spot on the ground. He laughs something from under my hand. "What?" I ask, moving it. "I said, your hair is so cool now! Maybe you can finally get a girl!"

I punch him in the arm to keep him quiet as I take in the surroundings. It's cold here, for one thing. It must be wintertime, considering the amount of snow not too far away. There's a river very close; just on the other side of that...what is that? I stand up and walk to the thin black...string? String that's hard and stands up on its own? "What is this stuff?" I growl to my self as I touch it. No, this isn't string. It's like...almost like rock, if rock is as smooth and maluable as this substance is. How did they accomplish this masterpiece? Ignoring the puzzling thing, I notice the river that it's blocking. The river is clear and deep, although it's running rather quickly. Turning around, I notice a large tree next to where Rome is sitting; a few branches hang over the river.

Without warning, some-..._thing_ races over a black road, screaming at a passing rodent. "What was _that_?" Rome shrieks, cowering behind the tree. "It's some sort of beast..." With a gasp, I notice something in the next beast that passes. "It ate a person!" There is a person inside, placidly turning a circular object in the monster's belly. Why is she so calm? "I will go rescue her!" I declare. I turn my head rapidly, searching for anything that I can use as a weapon. I settle with a fallen branch, and then I jump into the black road, directly in front of the charging beast. The monstronsity has a shiny red coat that doesn't look very comfortable if you are to make it into clothes. I heft the branch at the mouth of the creature and wait for impact. The woman inside it panics for the first time, and the beast skids to a stop, now only centemeters away from the tip of my branch-spear.

I take it, and I plunge it into the monster's snout. What I am not expecting is for it to blow sparks at me. I shield my face with my arm and strike again, into what I think are the eyes. The monster screams, in pain, I think. It is the same noise that the other beast made to scare away the small animal with the bushy tail. The woman inside cuts her way out and hops onto the road. Smoke pours from the beast's mouth, so I assume that it's dead. "No need to thank me, Ma'am, I'm just doing what's right," I say while calmly walking bake to Rome. He claps. "That was amazing! I mean, like, the way that it howled when you stabbed it! Beautiful!"

We start walking down the way that the other beast went in hope that we could save more humans from the jaws of these terrible creatures. We pass over what I think might just be a bridge. Rome whines. "Germania, it's colllld..." I snort. "We've walked about fifty paces. You'll warm up as soon as you walk some more."

Rome pouts, then he brightens. "Look! I think this is a modern music store! What's that instrument, the really big black one with the white and black indentation?" he asks. Rome then pulls me towards it. "Let's go inside!" he begs. I sigh again, but follow him. A few meters before being able to touch the new-fangled instrument, he stops and falls to the ground. "What was that for?" I ask, picking him up by the back of his neck. "Invisible wall!" he gasps, running his hand over the spot where he stopped. I can see his handprints, smaller than what I am used to see with him, stick to the wall. If I look closely, I can see something shiny. A small orb, also made of the cold, smooth substance, floats in the middle of the barrier. "Hmm," I say as I touch it. I take the ball in my hand and twist it, and it moves. With a sound like a small church bell, the barrier seems to swing open. I tentatively take a few steps forward, and nothing stops me, so I continue walking. Rome rushes in after me, forgetting the strange wall. Rome runs past me and to the instrument. He sits on a stool in front of it and presses a rectangle on the white part. A musical note is heard, and Rome laughs in delight, pressing more keys to see what sounds they make.

As he amuses himself, I look at the shiny black exterior, and see another child staring back at me. He looks to be about ten years on age, maybe eleven. His hair seems to be a blond color, and his eyes are blue. Just...like...mine...On a sudden whim, I lunge my hand to my head, and the boy does the same. This is...this is me? Suddenly, I remember what happened in the land of forgotten nations. Boss. This is all Boss' doing. We're on Earth, with the humans.

With a gasp, I remember that Boss sent us on a mission. What is it again? Something about finding out what Germany's up to. The thought tingles inside me. Seeing Germany again. I've missed him so much, and Prussia, too. Still, why would Germany do this? When they were little, Prussia was always the one plotting world domination, but he always advised Germany, just a little tyke; barely ably to walk on his own, not to ever try it, lest more nations hate him for as long as he exists. It wasn't like Prussia ever cared; he was too 'awesome' to be hated forever.

Where are they? Where are we?

"Come on, Rome," I say, pulling him away from the instrument. I grope the space where the invisible barrier is, and walk through when I find it to be unsealed. We wander around this place, and I later learn that this is Vienna, Austria. Oh, that's right. Austria is another one of my grandchildren; he was always so independent that I always forgot about him. He was a strong one from the start. **(Not historiclly accurate. o3o)**

I wonder where he is? Is he on Germany's or Prussia's side of this war?

On our little hiking trip through what I learn to be called a 'city', I see many new things. More monsters, which I learned, the hard way, are called 'cars' and are a form of transportation and not a psycotic beast; a box on the side of a wall that makes water when you press a button that is called a 'water fountain'; a large box made of the invisible wall, 'glass', as I think it's called, filled with furry and multi-colored animals, all slain for someone to purchase. These are called 'claw machines', and for a good reason; the only way to get them is to maneuver a claw to pick up the carcasses. We are standing outside of one now, wondering whether it will be easier to trap our own food or attempt to use this contraption. "Hey! Look, maybe we can crawl through that and take as many as we want!" Rome suggests, pointing at a silver opening on the box's side. "Good plan!" I say approvingly. Why didn't I think of this? Rome pushes open the door and crawls into the small opening. A second later, his chestnut-brown, curly hair is visible as he shimmies to where the dead rodents are. Rome stands up straight and hits his head on the claw, picks up a normal-colored animal, and bites it. He makes a face as he shows me the white fluff on the inside. What is this thing? "Alright, come out now. People are staring," I say, gesturing for him to come out.

Rome nods and attempts to squeeze back out, but he can not. A few minutes pass, and he is crying and beating his fists weakly on the glass while I facepalm. At least the glass drowns out the noise of him wailing.

I make the, 'get out of the way' motion at him, and he moves to the side of the box, hitting his head on the claw again. I hit the glass with the branch-spear, and this time, it takes a few tries for me to break. The glass makes a tinkling sound as it hits the ground, which I think is called 'pavement'. Rome jumps out and hugs me, crying into my neck. "That's quite enough. Stop it," I say a I push him away. Rome stops crying and picks up a dead, shrunken wolf. "Look at this, it's kinda cute!" he says, waving it in my face, normal obliviousness restored. I swat it away and snort, "It's adorable. Let's get out of here before the 'cops' show up." The 'cops' are what the humans call their law-enforcers. One man threatened to call them after I saved him from his car.

We walk some more, and Rome asks, "Hey, what are our names?" I send him a funny look. "I am Germania; you are Rome. Remember?"

"No, silly. What if a cop asks us that? We can't just let the humans know that we're empires, can we?" he explains. "You mean our human names?" I ask. He nods. "Like, my Ita-chan's human name is Feliciano! Romano's is Lovino. They told me that Germany's is Ludwig, and Prussia's is Gilbert. Do we get cool names like those?"

"I suppose, if you want," I dully respond. I am a little bit grumpy right now. My child body wants food, and it doesn't like to walk. Rome twirls happily. "Yay! I'm gonna be...hmmm...Florence!" He shouts the name with such resolve, like it's the name that is made just for him. I roll my eyes. "Rome, that is a very feminine name."

"Nope! It's a cool name! It's my name!" he shouts, dancing around me in circles. "If that's what you want..." I repeat, rolling my eyes again. "What's your human name?" Rome asks. I think for a while, then respond, "Herman."

Rome pauses for a second, then bursts out laughing. "That's such a boring name! It fits you perfectly!"

It takes me a few times before I can get this weak body to punch Rome as hard as I want.

**Tadaaaaa! Yeah, It's kinda short. Next chapter might be longer, depending on what kind of mood I'm in. :3 **

**Doo doo dooooo...I'm bored...**

**I had to clean my room today. :p **

**STILLLLL no wi-fi...So... If you read this than I am most likely at the library. Heh, I've moved twice in the length of this story. One between chapters twelve and thirteen and then between chapter thirty-five and the new book. :3 That means I've been in three schools for this one grade, and now my sense of algebra is screwed up. Like, before I moved the first time, I was in pre-algebra. Then I moved and got the hang of doing slope and stuff, and then I moved again and trying to figure out what the France 'Complex fractions using polymonials' are. I'm serious. On my first day there was a quiz on it, and I thought, 'Oh, it can't be THAT differen-WHAT THE FRANCE IS **_**THAT**_** CRAP? O.O' **

**XD The sub for that day was amused. Yes, my first day in algebra and I had a sub. **

**HOW 'BOUT SOME REVIEWS FOR NOT ENDING THE ROME AND GERMANIA PART ON A CLIFFY? XD Yeah, I left the other part on a cliffy, kinda sorta. YOU CAN KILL ME AFTER I FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM. **

**No, I don't even know what's going to happen. I just do whatever mood I'm in and deal with the concequences later. I don't really have a plan. XD **

**QUESTION TIME!**

**NUMBER ONE! Do you like the Rome and Germania part? Are you happy that I made Rome get stuck in a claw machine? (Yeah, a lot of you wanted that. XD Great minds think alike.)**

**NUMBER TWO! Do you think that it really was Prussia, or just another nation hopped up on Pixy-Stix? (I NO OWN!)**

**RANDOM QUESTION! What color are your socks? (One of mine is grey and the other is purple. And I have two stuffed animals on my bed, and yes, I love turtles, for all of you who wanted to know what my answers were for the RQ's. o3o)**

**NUMBER THREE! Who do you think Lauren was talking to? Some of you should know this if you read Lauren's Story by Art and Soul...Advertising much? o3o **

**NUMBER FIVE!...How often do you think Germany wears rainbow boxers? XD XD XD A.a.S, that was so funny! XD **

**Okay, I'm done. o3o **

**XD You get a cookie if you see what I did wrong. XD Not telling you what, though. **


	3. It's about time!

**AND BOOM! BOOM FOR NO APPARANT REASON. I JUST SAID BOOM AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT, SO THERE. XD **

**So, I want to give thanks to *drumroll* THESE AWESOME PEOPLE! XD *cue spotlight* Tabby-tan, el18m, Kitty Sue96, xXRedPokerGirlxX, CelticGirl7, fireflame778, hetaliaforever123, Art and Soul, abd Givemecookies! A round of applause, please, for these Prussian peeps! *applause* o3o I'm serious, I love you guys! XD**

**I saw that most of you liked the Rome and Germania part. It was really fun to write. XD No, I actually didn't get the 'Beast' thing from 'Enchanted', I swear. I haven't seen it in forever, I promise. If it makes you happy, I don't own that. :3**

**One more thing. An anonymous person has volunteered to example why I like flamers. I really like to prove people wrong; whatever they think, I'll challenge that. It's a weird thing that I do. If you do ever try to flame me, at least let me be able to PM you to ask what your reasoning is for the flame. If you don't, get ready for a public scolding. XD I'm weird like that. It bugs me until I do something like this. XD**

**So, thanks for actually reading up to chapter twenty-one. Most people say the first chapter is crap and drop the story forever. So, they called Issa a Mary-Sue. FIRST of all, LEARN HOW TO TYPE. I'M SERIOUS. THAT WAS PATHETIC. Second, Issa IS NOT a Mary-Sue. She's insecure. She was bullied. She can't make decisions easily. Her father died right in front of her. She gets stressed easily. She tries too hard to protect people. And THAT, my dear reviewers, is why Issa is not a Mary-Sue. o3o Lol, if I tried to say that out loud to a person I'd run and curl up in the fetal position for a month. XD **

**Mmkay, shutting up now. ^_^**

Dimah's POV

"Gotcha!" I cry in triumph as tickle Alina gently. She squirms and giggles while poking me back in the stomach. I pick her up and turn in a circle with Alina in my arms, her hair floating around. "Hey," I whisper to her when I stop. "why don't we go and sneak up on Vera?" I evilly suggest. Alina's eyes widen in delight as a smile similar to my own crosses her face; she nods enthusiasticly. Quietly, I walk to where Vera is laying on a bed, sleeping. "One...Two...Three!" I whisper. On the last word, Alina and I jump on either side of our sleeping sister; she shrieks as the bed quakes and jumps up, whipping her head back and forth. When she sees the two of us laughing, she scowls and throws her pillow at me, most likely too afraid to hurt Alina worse. Then, she flops down face-first. "You guys are so annoying..." she mutters playfully.

"Oh..." Alina says. I look over, and notice the bit of red appearing on the bandage. Ivan, mother Russia, I think he really is, told me earlier that it might still bleed if she excercises too hard, and not to worry about it too much. Rest will make it stop, he said. Vera sits up and her eyes widen. Before she can freak out, I say, "Ivan told me that it's normal for it to bleed a little after, and that if it happens, she needs to rest." Alina slumps her shoulders. "Really?" she whines. "I don't want to take a nap. Only Vera takes naps." I laugh and scoop her carefully into my arms again. "Sorry, Alina. Orders are orders." She scoffs. "We're not in the army."

Childrens minds, I notice, are not wired like adults. They are more designed for creative things, such as arts and crafts, or playing with stuffed animals. They are not ment to grasp certain things, like dangerous situations. Alina doesn't know that we could be blown to bits if Ludwig ever gets a hold of a certain person's blood. And that's just the way it should be. Let children have their childhood, and let them enjoy it, because they'll never see it again.

I lay Alina down on a bed. "I don't want to go to sleep," she complains. "It'll help you get better," I remind her. "You do want to get better, don't you?" She nods. "It hurts. Why did Father do this?" I sigh and stroke her hair out of her eyes. "I don't know, Alina. Some people are cruel and have no consideration to how anyone feels." Alina locks her eyes with mine. "Like the men who took you?" I nod. "Exactly like them. They're bad people. And we're here, right now in Austria, to try and help stop them. Well, at least I am. You and Vera are with me because Father isn't a suitable parent." Alina holds my hand. "When I grow up, I want to be just like you."

There it is, at long last. Alina has never said anything about her future in the past. Whenever we'd ask her, she would reply, "I don't know." It's very touching that she wants to be like her older brother. Even though I wasn't in this willingly. I never volunteered to be kidnapped or have an abusive father. They didn't, either.

I don't reply to her, just sit by her side until her eyes droop and she falls into a deep sleep. I gently put her hand down and hope her dreams are pleasant. Vera has already fallen asleep again; she must be so stressed. Nearly being stabbed by your own father must be hard.

I wander out of the room and down the hall, where I hear voices. None of them sound like mother Russia's or Lauren's, though. I wonder where they are? I haven't seen them in a while. Alina told me that Issa needed Ivan for something, and she hasn't seen him since.

I peek in the room where the voices are coming from. Lauren is sitting on the edge of a spinny chair, her eyes fixed almost unblinkingly at a computer screen. The black-haired man, whom I think is Austria, sits in a similar postition, but a bit more relaxed. The men who look like Josh and Harvey, England and France, are fighting over something. Ignoring the two, I sit in the chair next to Lauren. She jumps when she hears me sit, but she doesn't turn. "Hi," I say. She waves halfheartedly. I lean forward and notice that she is wearing glasses. How long has Lauren had blue eyes? I suddenly remember how Lauren made herself look like Issa a few hours ago. "Issa?" I ask.

She jumps again and gives a glance in my direction before nodding. "Where's Lauren?" I ask. Issa points to the computer screen, where there are three black squares and one square with bad quality. As I watch, a loose camera swings and blurs until focusing on Lauren's face. Even dressed up like Issa, I would know her anywhere. I don't know how I know, but I do. "Where is she?" I ask. She hesitates and then pulls up an internet tab, but she makes it go to half the screen so the camera is still visible. Issa types something in the search bar and comes to what I think might be a translating page. She types something, and Russian words come up on the screen. 'What did you say?' it asks. Issa passes me the keyboard. 'Where is Lauren at?' I type.

'Germany'

What? Isn't Germany the place where Ludwig is? Isn't Ludwig Germany? I panic slightly at the thought of Lauren in the hands of that psyco. 'Is she safe?'

Issa hesitates again. 'She is not hurt, but she is trapped there. I tried to make her stay, but she insisted.'

I stare at the text. My fingers begin to type on their own. 'Let me help.'

Issa reads what I typed and then asks England something. He pauses his quarrel with France and answers. 'There is nothing you can do,' she types.

'There has to be something. Anything. Let me help.' I need to save Lauren. Ever since I first saw her, I have had... feelings for her. It's like something brushes the inside of my stomach everytime I see her, or even hear her name. I think...I think she might have feelings for me, too. I've noticed her blushing when she looks at me. But whenever we talk, we steer clear of awkward conversations like that. Lauren is just so bright and cheerful all the time. She's so happy, and she's beautiful, and I just like to be around her and make her happy. Her smile is so bright.

Issa has to nudge me a few times before I remember our conversation. 'She is being helped right now. I hope he's helping Russia, as well.'

Jelousy rises up like an eagle inside of me. 'Who is he?' I type stiffly. Issa seems to think my reaction is funny, because she laughs slightly as she types. 'Prussia.' Her fingers hover over the keys for a few seconds like she has something else to say, but she takes them away. I almost growl as I reply. 'He had better get her back safely.'

Issa surpresses another giggle as she turns toward the screen. It seems like Lauren is holding a hidden camera. If she holds it still, I see that she is following a pale man with white hair and red eyes. He is carrying a limp girl with slightly curly brownish-red hair; she is so skinny that it scares me. Another person is there. A girl who looks like Zack, I think his name is. She has a thin cut on her neck, and she seems rather shaken. Issa smiles and sighs in relief when she sees the others.

The camera focuses on the man's face, and I feel slight anger. Why is he helping them and not me? How old is he? Is he going to try to woo Lauren?

Lauren holds onto the man's sleeve and the screen turns white. I choke back a gasp. Lauren...?

Issa jumps up and runs out of the room, and the others follow her, leaving me to curiously tail them. What are they so eager to see?

I walk into the living room to see a commotion. Issa seems to be laughing and crying at the same time, Yao, China, whatever, and Jia Li are looking confused, England and France are talking to the white-haired person who I think is Prussia, and Austria is glaring at him. I ignore them and shove my way through until I find Lauren, then I hug her before she fully processes what's going on. "Wha-? Dimah?"

"Don't do that again," I whisper into her ear. She laughs quietly and hugs me back. For a moment, a peaceful moment, nothing else matters but Lauren. She's here, and she's safe.

Then, Issa joins in on the hug. "_Way to kill the moment, Issa!" _ Lauren teases. Issa ignores her and embraces her, babbling in Japanese, then letting go as she seems to remember something. Lauren laughs and glances at me, a blush rising on her face. I could feel warmth on my own, as well. "Where's mother Russia?" I ask. Lauren's face falls a little. "Prussia said he couldn't find him." I am silent for a moment. "Will he be alright? It's not his blood that Lud - Germany wants, right?" Lauren shakes her head. "No...he might be angry that it's not him, but Russia's tough. I think he'll be okay until we can go rescue him." I nod. "I hope so."

Lauren's hand is empty. My hand is empty. Should I take it...?

I reach for her hand, but she pulls it away and pulls the blonde-brown wig off her head, letting her long hair fall on her shoulders. I am almost disappointed, but then I am able to smell the fragrance that her hair holds. Lauren seems to realize that I tried to hold her hand and blushes deeper. We both stand there, blushing a deep scarlet. Then Harvey, who is passing by to look for France, stops and sees us. He rolls his eyes, takes my hand and Lauren's, and he pushes them together. Both of us turn a violent crimson as our palms touch, but neither of us pull back. Harvey smiles in a way that suggests that his job is done.

I laugh nervously, and so does she. "That was weird," she comments. "Yeah," I agree. Harvey, who is still standing right beside us, throws his hands in the air and says in French, "_Just kiss each other already!"_ in an exasperated yet good-natured tone. Lauren's blush, which was lessening very slightly, flares up darker than ever, and she giggles something embarrassedly back to him. He laughs and pushes us closer. I think...I think he wants me to...kiss her...Lauren laughs. "You're hyperventilating."

"What?" I ask. My voice is unusually high. "No I'm not!" Harvey gives me a 'just do it!' sort of look. Bracing myself, I lean down (Lauren is rather short...) and kiss her on the cheek. Then I duck my head, embarrassed. She stares at me, her eyes still blue due to the color-contacts. "You missed." **(ELF! WATCH OUT FOR THE YELLOW ONES! THEY DON'T STOP! SON OF A NUTCRACKER! I JUST LIKE TO SMILE, SMILING'S MY FAVORITE! SANTAAAA OH MY GOSH! SANTA HERE? I KNOW HIM! I KNOW HIM! HAVE YOU SEEN THESE TOILETS? THEY'RE GINORMOUS! Memoranda doesn't own that. XD But she does like to watch it, even when Christmas is coming in like, nine months. XD o3o) **

"Wh-what was that?" I stutter. "You missed," she repeats. Lauren jumps up and kisses me. On the lips.

...Oh... my... gosh...

When Lauren pulls away, Harvey claps. "_It's about time!"_ he says. Lauren says, "_Oh, shut up,"_ as she flushes deeper. I stand in shock, and then I reach up and feel my lips. Lauren just kissed me.

Oh.

My.

Gosh.

Lauren laughs at my befuzzled expression. **(Is befuzzled a word? No? Well, it is now. Add it to your dictionary. o3o)** "You just..." I say. "Was it...alright?" she asks. I nod vigourously. "Uh-huh." We both laugh.

Issa runs up. "_Lauren, Renae's awak-"_ she stops short. "_Never mind. I never came. Go back to whatever you were doing," _she says after seeing the both of us so frazzled and red. **(Frazzled is a word. :3 Un. I checked.)** "_Yeah, you'd better run!" _Lauren calls laughingly to her retreating back. "So..." I say. "are you my...girlfriend now?"

"Do you want me to be?" she asks hesitantly. "Yes~!" I chirp, glomping her in my happiness. I have often seen Lauren tackle-hugging a few other nations, namely mother Russia and France.

Alina tugs on the back of my shirt. "Dimah, I can't sleep. And I stopped bleeding. Can I stay awake now?" I grin and pick her up. "I don't know. Are you physicly able to stay awake?" She scowls at me. "MAY I stay awake?" she corrects. "Yes," I say. "Why were you hugging Miss Lauren?"

Children ask far more questions per day than adults or teenagers. Questions about colors, weather, why does this happen, things like that. Most of the time, these questions are answerable and not awkward. But some, like this, are awkward.

Lauren laughs as I search for something to tell her. "Uh..." is all I have at the moment. Lauren covers for me. "Do you not hug others when you are happy to see them?" Alina thinks for a minute. "I guess I do. Only, not to boys. The only boy who doesn't have cooties is my big brother." Lauren giggles. "Exactly. That's why I was hugging him." Alina nods approvingly, and I set her on the floor. "I am going to leave now. It's too crowded in here," she says while walking away. "Bye~!" Lauren chirps. "I need to go meet Issa's sister. D'you want to come?" she asks me.

"Alright," I reply, following her to where the dreadfully thin girl is lying on the couch; Issa is kneeling next to her. With concern in her voice, she says, "_She WAS awake. But she's not, now. I think...I think something's wrong."_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Issa's POV **A few minutes earlier~~~**

"Thank you, Prussia," I say while hugging said nation. "It's no prob! And...where did you learn about the countries?" I snicker. "I knew all along. Japan made an anime." Prussia's eyes widen. "Am I the star? 'Cause, y'know, I'm so totally awesome enough to be the star." Just to be nice, I say, "Yeah." He fistpumps. "YEAAAAAHHHHH!" Austria frowns, and behind him, Hungary is taping every bit of these two with her video camera. I turn my attention to Renae on the couch.

I push her hair out of her eyes. When will she wake up?...

As soon as I think that, her eyelids flutter open. _"Issa? Wh-wha-..." _she croaks. I smile reassuringly and hold her hand. "Shh, it's alright, you're okay..." Renae panics. "_I-I w-was in G-Germany! H-he was going to- Z-Zack doesn't speak- H-He was going-...He was going to try to kill you!" _she says, her voice cracking multible times, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I tried to give her medicine," Prussia's voice says, "but she wouldn't take it."

"Thanks," I say. "Renae, I'll be right back, okay?" I say, my voice calm. Renae weakly clutches my hand. "_D-don't leave..."_ she whimpers. Her hand falls back to her side and she starts to cry. I force myself to go to Lauren. "Lauren, Renae's awak-" I stop. Dimah and Lauren are standing rather close to each other and blushing.

A lot.

"Never mind. I never came. Go back to whatever you were doing." I allow the last bit to have a smirk at the end. "Yeah, you'd better run!" Lauren calls. I widen my smirk and walk back to Renae. She fell back asleep, I notice. I take a hold of one of her limp hands. She needs to rest. And I can't talk to her, anyways.

Many cuts and bruises litter her arms. I think Germany might've beaten her up...Why, though? Why? Renae would never, ever hurt him. She has NO temper. Even if she could understand what he was saying to her, she wouldn't respond angrily, only sad and confused. So why, why, _why_ did he do this to her?

I look at my sister's face. She looks a lot like me, but her nose is differently shaped, and her hair is a different color than mine; I had gotten my father's hair color, and Renae has our mom's. But...she...doesn't breathe through her mouth when she sleeps...Never...Even when she was a baby, I noticed that she always breathed through her nose. Why is she now...?

I put my hand under her chin and push her mouth gently shut. It falls open again. I carefully nudge her shoulder, trying to wake her up. I need to know she's okay.

Maybe I'm overreacting...

But then again, maybe I'm not...

I shake her again. "Renae?" I quietly say. "Wake up..."

She doesn't open her eyes.

Lauren and Dimah walk up behind me. "She WAS awake. But she's not, now. I think..." I hesitate, not wanting my hypothesis to be true. "I think something's wrong."

"How do you know?" Lauren asks. "She never breathes through her mouth. Ever." Lauren kneels next to me and looks carefully at Renae. After a while, she asks, "Well, have you tried this?" She puts her hand over her mouth and holds her nose shut, just like what Josie did to England. "Uh, I don't-That's not the best way-um..." I stutter to a stop and let Lauren try to wake her up. I bite my lip; I don't want her to be scared...

But, like England, she jerks awake. Her eyes, in the same shade as mine, are wide, yet sleep-dazed, and terrified. Renae wildly flails until she sees me. "_I-Issa?"_ I nod and lean forward for a hug. Her voice worries me. It's so hoarse and scratchy. Renae hesitates. "_Say something,"_ she says in a pleading tone. "Uh...Something?" I say awkwardly. Renae pushes me away, and it startles me; for one thing, she would never, ever try to hurt anyone unless pushed to the limit, and number two, she's so weak...

My sister tries to hold back tears and the hurt in her voice. "_Wh-who are you? Wh-where am I? Wh-why is he here?" _She points to Prussia, who is hovering behind my shoulder. "Lauren-" I start. I was going to ask her to translate, but she says, "On it."

Lauren scoots closer to Renae, who curls into a ball against the arm of the couch. _"Hello. I'm Lauren. Don't you recognize your sister?" _Renae gives a frightened glance in my direction. "_Th-that's n-not Issa."_ A puzzled look crosses Lauren's face, and most likely so does mine. "_What do you mean? I'm sure that's Issa."_ She then adds to me, "You are Issa, right?" I nod. "_Yeah. I'm sure that's Issa." _Renae shakes her head. "_N-no she's not. I-Issa speaks English."_

"_You saw Zack get hit with the light, right?" _Lauren asks, her tone gentle and calming, though not having much effect. "_H-how did you know? Y-you're working f-for HIM, a-aren't you?" _ Renae demands, shoving herself farther back in the corner of the couch. "_No. I promise."_ Lauren holds up her hand in a 'scouts' honor' position.  
Renae eyes her warily. "_No. I didn't see the light. But he talked to me in Japanese,"_ she answers stiffly. "_Issa got hit with the light, too. It's not her fault that she can't speak English anymore. I promise, cross my heart and hope to die, that none of us are going to hurt you."_ Renae alternates stares at me, Lauren, Dimah, Prussia, and the others that are watching her from various areas of the room. "_How can I be sure?"_

I think for a second, then I fumble around the back of my neck with the chain on my necklace. "You got me this for my birthday, remember, Doodlebug?" I say, showing her the treble clef pendant and remembering to use her nickname. Mom would call her Doodlebug because her favorite blanket as a baby had a ladybug on it. Renae would never let that blanket out of her sight until she started school. And all of the papers that she brought home had ladybugs doodled in the bottom right corner, always. So, the name stuck.

Renae looks at it in shock, then up at me, tears forming in her eyes. "_Issa?"_ I nod, and she jumps on me in a hug and starts to cry. "_I was so scared! He was going to kill me to make you suffer! He was going to torture you!" _ she sobs into my shoulder. "Shh...It's okay, you're alright..." I really wish I could speak English. I can't tell her how glad I am that she's alright. The most I can do right now is stroke her hair and let her cry herself out.

Soon, Renae gets a grip on herself. "_Where's Zack?"_ I look around at the people, and Zack is not among them. Josie, who sits cross-legged on the couch opposite of Renae's couch, glances up for a second at the sound of her brother's name, but she quickly diverts her gaze to her hands. "I don't know," I tell Renae; Lauren translates.

Renae stands up and takes a few steps before pausing and collapsing. "Renae!" I gasp. "_Ow_," she mutters. "She's sick. I told ya that already," Prussia says. Renae shuffles closer to me. "_I don't like him. He scares me,"_ she confides. "_He's the one that helped us escape, though,"_ Lauren reasons. Renae nods. "_I know, but he's just creepy."_ I laugh and nod. "_He's too awesome to be creepy,"_ Lauren says. Renae doesn't seem to agree, but she holds her tounge.

I kneel down next to her and pull her on my back; a piggyback ride, just like when we were younger. "C'mon, you need medicine." Again, Lauren translates. Renae nods. "Hey, she wouldn't take medicine from me!" Prussia protests. "You're a stranger to her," I remind him. Prussia nods. "Yeah, but..." he thinks of a reason to argue, then shrugs. "I got nothin'. Carry on." Lauren and England respond at the same time. "'Keep calm and carry on.'" I snicker as I remember something I saw on the internet. "'Keep calm and let me sleep,'" I quote. Lauren giggles. "_Issa? Can you understand me?"_ Renae asks as I follow the now-familiar path from the living room to the hospital room. I nod. "_Oh. That's peculiar,"_ she remarks. I nod again. "_He's following us,"_ Renae points out. I look behind to see Lauren and England trailing, which I expected, but Dimah is there, as well. I snicker again. "That's Lauren's boyfriend," I say, more to Lauren than to Renae. "Hey," she whines. "What?" I innocently ask. "England can still understand you," she whispers. England, the troll, twiddles his thumbs and quotes, "'I have gone temperarily deaf and haven't any idea what you just said,'" from Harry Potter. **(I no own. o3o Even though that would be extremely cool if I did. But I don't. *sadface*)**

I set Renae on the cot in the hospital room. "Are you going to be able to figure out what's wrong with her?" I ask England. "I should be..." he replies over his shoulder while looking for some liquid medicine. He introduces himself to her, and, with some more persuasion from Lauren, she drinks the medicine.

"_Feel better?" _ Lauren asks. Renae shrugs. "_Medicine doesn't take place immediately."_ There's my sister - The fact-spewing girl that I know and love. She seems well-knowledged about sharks, considering that they are her favorite animal. Renae told me that when sharks are babies in their mothers' stomach, they kill each other until they're born. A bit violent, considering Renae's usual personality. But that does make me wonder- how is the shark the prime facination of such a gentle girl?

I sit on the bed next to Renae and scoop her in my arms; she has to stay in my sight at all times. I'm not letting anyone hurt her, ever. Renae yawns. "_That's the kind of medicine that makes you drowsy, isn't it?"_ England reads the lable. "_Yes, I'm afraid so. You do look like you need a decent amount of rest, though."_

She does. Renae won't stop shaking, even though she knows that she's in safe hands. Her hair is ruffled, and so are her clothes. She needs a shower, but she can take one after she sleeps soundly for a while.

England smiles and sits on a chair next to Lauren and Dimah, and I giggle at the trademarked Overprotective-Father glare that he's giving Dimah, who edges away, uncomfortable. Renae rubs her eyes and yawns again. _"I like him. He's kind."_ She lays down on the cot, her head in my lap. I hold her hand as her eyelids slowly droop and finally close. While this happened, Lauren and Dimah were happily seated against the wall, talking in Russian. We all look up when Canada enters, leading Josie by the hand. "_I don't want to see Zack,"_ she complains. This takes me by surprise; I would think that, with the way Zack acted without her, she would be very happy to be with him again. But the way she acts about this makes me think that Zack has done something unforgivable to her. "_You're just in shock. A little of this will put you right in no time,"_ Canada says in his quiet voice, handing her a glass of liquid. Josie plants herself on a cot and stares at the cup, as if she's deciding whether or not it's poisoned. But, with England staring at her, her willpower crumbles and she takes the medicine. Canada smiles and walks out again. Wasting no time, Josie looks at me. "_Listen, that stuff is gonna make me pass out in a few minutes, but I need you to not go anywhere near Zack," _ she deadpans. Josie shakes her head like she has a headache and continues, though her speech is a bit slower; that must've been powerful knockout stuff. "_I know, it sounds crazy, but just don't trust him. When I was there, L-Ludwig, or G-Germany, or whatever talked with h-him, but I-I didn't understand it...He let Z-Zack go and put me in the basement with her," _ she points to Renae, who is still sleeping, "_and then Prussia or G-Gilbert came a-and let us out..."_ Obviously, this converstion, though one-sided, is draining Josie's energy. As she said all that, her eyes were fluttering and she was swaying. Josie finally drops sideways onto the pillow, fighting to make her message to me clear. _"I-I think h-he m-made a d-deal with Zack...Don't trust him...don't go...near him..."_ With that, Josie falls unconcious.

The first thing that regesters to me through the numbness is shock. Zack made a deal with Germany.

I look at Lauren, hoping she has some kind of advice, but she is still talking to Dimah, unaware that the conversation between Josie and I had ever happened (Or the 'Mess-with-my-citizen-and-I-will-bloody-kill-you glare that England is giving Dimah. Dimah seems pretty aware of it, though). I decide to give them a little privacy. But, it's not like I know what they're saying.

Where is Zack? Hiding? If he has made a deal with Germany, I think he might be pretty ashamed, so I want to reassure him that it's okay. It's alright as long as he doesn't do whatever Germany's told him to do. If I think about it, the only logical reason for Zack doing that is to protect Josie, and now that she's safe, he doesn't need to do what Germany says anymore.

"Issa, where are you going?" I hear a voice ask. I'm too lazy to check who it is, but I'm pretty sure that it's Canada. "Looking for Zack," I call over my shoulder. I search some more, and run into Josh. Harvey is here, too. No good can come from that.

I smile awkwardly and try to side-step them, but Harvey blocks my path. Josh takes a deep breath. "_Look, Issa. I just have to ask- do you...like me?"_ I, caught off-guard at this question, stumble back a step. "Dude, that's not fair, I'm not ready for this sort of question," I whine, trying again to maneuver around the two. "_I know, you're mad at me for just dumping this on you. It's okay if you say no, though, okay?" _His eyes say otherwise- so full of sorrow. I-...I hate myself right now. I shouldn't have let myself get so attached to either of them. Now, I have a choice that can either make them or break them; it's just not in my nature to break either of them, but I have to choose sometime. "Why is everything so hard?" I ask, shaking my head like I have water in my ear.

"_Issa, no- I just- Calm down, okay? Calm down!" _Josh says, pulling my wrists away from my temple when I pressed them there in confusion. "_...You don't have to answer right now..."_ he says softly. Suddenly, there's a high-pitched yip at my ankles, and I look down. It's a dog. A German Shepard puppy. That's weird. I know Austria has Austria-cat, but I didn't know he has a puppy. I decide to use it as a way to escape the awkwardness. "This is Renae's dog," I say as I pick it up. I'm not sure if it is or not, but it seems like the only way to get away. I hold the puppy, and he snuggles me contentedly. I turn on my heel and swiftly walk away.

Absentmindedly, I rub the puppy's neck and feel a sharpness there. I move a bit of his fur and see Renae's paperclip necklace used as a collar. So this is Renae's puppy. "Hey, there, boy, " I say to the dog. "Did you keep my sister safe while she was in that bad place? Thanks!" I ignore the weird stare from Switzerland as he passes and sees me talking to a dog. I begin to wander rather than look for Zack, and my feet bring me to the door of the courtyard where Zack told me he loves me. I can almost see him there now, his shadowy figure moving around.

...This is Zack...But then...who's the other person?

All of my instincts tell me to run, but I continue to stare out the window. I want to go out there, but every molecule of me screams, "Danger!" This is not good. Carefully, I open the door a crack so I can listen to their conversation.

"...don't have to do what you tell me!" Zack says. "Just go away and leave Issa alone! She doesn't deserve any of this." I receive a sickening jolt of surprise as I recognize Germany-how did he get in here? Helicopter? "I have done my part of the deal. Do you really think that I had no knowledge of my _dumkoff_ _bruder_ leaving with your sister? Do you take me as a fool?" Zack laughs hysterically. "Yeah! I do! I'm not going through with this. I don't know who triggers the bomb, and I'm not going to ask. So, sorry, dude, but you'll have to get yourself a different slave." He turns around and merely pauses when he hears the click of Germany's gun, which is now pointed at his head. "Go ahead. Shoot me. It just shows what you really are- mean, cruel, and heartless." When Germany doesn't pull the trigger, he says, "Thought so," and walks again.

Then, a bullet explodes out of the gun.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX***Brick'd for cliffy* :3 Nyehehe. You know who you are. o3o**

Germania's POV

"You think we lost them?" Rome asks, panting. I peek over my shoulder. "Yes." Rome, or should I say Florence, plops down on a bench. "They should've told us that they don't take my country's coin!"

We just escaped from another situation where the 'cops' were threatened to be called. But, Rome is right- there was no sign in that establishment that said they wouldn't accept our money. But, I guess it has been centuries since this type of money was used.

"Hey," Rome says, stopping me. He reaches down and picks up a piece of crumpled paper from the ground. "Let me see that," I say, taking it. Examining it, I see that this is money, the kind that we can use here. "Rome, this is amazing! This is worth much!" I exclaim. "Really? Cool!" Rome says. He looks me over, then at his own clothes. "We need to go shopping," he declares. "What?"

"To the 'mall'!" Rome exclaims, pushing me out of the little alleyway. "What? Agh, Ro-Florence, we can't just- this money isn't ours! Someone dropped it!" Rome stops and looks at the bill clutched in his hand. "It's dirty and wrinkled, and it was in a little puddle in an allyway. Whoever lost it lost it a while ago," he explains, pushing me back on course. I sigh and grumble, but I go anyway.

"So...What do the humans wear nowadays?" I ask curiously, waiting for Rome to try on a few strange articles of clothing that I didn't get more than a glance at. "This!" he triumphantly exclaims, opening the door. His torso is wrapped in bright, neon green fabric. Over that is a removable fabric that has a little of the strange substance, which I learned earlier to be called 'Metal'. I think I heard this called a 'zipper.' So, the removable one is black and it has a bit of excess cloth hanging down the back. Rome also is wearing a white kilt, that for some reason, was placed in the womens' department. "I like these!" Rome chirps. "Uh...are you sure that that isn't for women?" I ask. "I mean, it was in the womens' section." Rome shakes his head. "Naw, I think I'll be okay!"

After he changes back into his armor, he drags me to look at the clothing. I have to place a few kilts back, not wanting to be mistaken for a woman. I take note of the men wandering around, and see that they are wearing bottoms that cling to their legs. Hm...

I find a pair of those, and try on the shirts that Rome shoved into my arms. I feel foolish.

"Come out! Let me see, Herman!" Rome calls. "No. I'm just going to wear my armor," I say, taking off the shirt. "Hermannnnnn..." Rome whines. "Florenceeeee..." I call back in the same tone. "Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"The physical appearance of the 'please' doesn't change my answer." ** Despicible me! IT'S SO FLUFFY I'M GONNA DIE! :3 I don't own that. **

"PLEASEEEEEEE."

"Alright! Fine! You win!" I cry, putting the shirt back on and stepping out. "Woah! You look like a human!" he peeps happily. "I look like a fool," I retort, going back into the changing room. I change back into my regular clothing and throw the human clothes at Rome. "Im'ma buy this, and you're gonna wear it!" he says, running off to the person collecting the money. I pinch the bridge of my nose and sigh, but I wait for him to come back.

We wander around the 'mall' until Rome suddenly walks up to a person taking money and giving them multi-colored swirls. "Is this enough?" he asks, handing him the remainder of our money. "Yeah. You want small, medium, or large?" Rome shrugs. "Large, I guess." The man gives him two goblets filled with the stuff, and a small amount of the money left over. "Here ya go." Rome hands me one of them.

I cautiously take a hold of the pink object protruding from the goblet and lift it, but with difficulty; it is harder to pull out than I had expected. **( o3o XD that's what she said. /shot/)** "What is this?"

I put it in my mouth, and recoil at the temprature; it is very cold. However, the taste is amazing! "What _is_ this?" I ask again, eagerly. Rome shrugs, his mouth full. He has eaten at least half of his already, and he doesn't look like he is going to stop anytime soon. I eat with increasing speed until it is gone.

Rome grins at me. I grin back, though rather stupidly. Wh-what was that? I feel amazing, like I could fly. I feel myself unable to stay still, bouncing on my toes. "Race ya!" Rome cries, taking off while clutching the clothes bag like it's a lifeline. I laugh and run after him, and we don't stop until both of us are panting. "I...like whatever... that was," I say, sitting on a bench to try to catch my breath. "Me... too!" Rome chokes out.

Suddenly, I feel like I have been hit over the head with a mallet. "Wha-?" I slur drowsily. "Heh heh heh...you look funny, Herman...Herman, Herman, Herman...That's a funny name..." Rome slumps in the seat and snores, and I join him a few seconds later...

**POW! Nyeheheh, they got a sugar-high from ice cream! And they crashed, HARD. :3 Nyeheheheh. **

**And ANOTHER cliffy! Wow, I'm awesome. You guys must be sick of that by now. :3 But this just makes you want to read more, so that's okay with me! XD **

**Moo. Lettuce. *Brick'd* **

**QUESTION TIME!**

**NUMBAH ICHI! Do you think Germany shot Zack, or did a sniper shoot Germany? o3o**

**NUMBAH NI! Do you like Issa/Zack or Issa/Josh?**

**RHANDUM QUEXTION! Do you like...wait for it... *cue smolder* Breadsticks? **

**NUMBAH SAN! How often do you get sugar highs?**

**NUMBAH YON! Do you like Lauren/Dimah?**

**Okay, quextion time over. Yeah, I purposely numbered the numbers wrong last chapter. I skipped four. Now this is in Japanese! o3o Nyeheheheh. **

**Quack. Sliced bread. :3 **

**LOOK, A REVIEW BOX! o3o SO PRETTY! I BET IT MAKES YOU WANT TO CLICK ON IT! :3 :3 :3 **


	4. Rolling Girl

**HELLO~~~Muchos gracias to Art and Soul, TheRoxelShow, MysticDayze, CelticGirl7, fireflame1810, and Otakuchan88! :3 You guies are so Prussian! MysticDayze thought of zhe idea for Rome and Germania/ Florence and Herman. Derp, they aren't official names. They probably don't even have official names. o3o**

**Bloooooooop. Blooooop. Bloooooooooooooooooooop. I is bored. **

**Who has two thumbs and is on another car trip? **

**THIS GURRRRRLLL! XD Lol. **

**All rightie, then, I'll shut up. o3o**

**ROLL FILM!**

Issa's POV

_Recap:_

_"...Do you take me as a fool?" Germany hisses in Zack's face. Zack laughs almost hysterically. "Yeah! I do! I'm not going through with this. I don't know whose blood triggers the bomb, and I'm not going to ask. So, sorry, dude, but you're gonna have to get yourself a different slave."_

_He turns and starts walking towards the door that conceals me from them and merely pauses when he hears the click of Germany's gun, which is now pointed at his head. "Go ahead," he says without turning around, "Shoot me. It just shows what you really are- mean, cruel, and heartless." When Germany doesn't pull the trigger, Zack grunts, "Thought so," and continues walking. _

_Then a bullet explodes out of the gun._

The first thing I am aware of is the deafening noise. Then the blood that is visible from the crack in the door. I hear a loud, long, bloodcurdling scream, and only when I feel a sharp pain in my throat do I realize that I am the one making the noise. Renae's dog squirms when I tighten my grip accidentally on it. The puppy bites my hand, and only the pain brings me out of the state of shock I am in. I shut my mouth, release the dog, and shove my way out into the courtyard.

"Zack! Zack!" I shriek. He is lying on his chest, a look of pain on his face as he clutches his stomach, where his shirt is dyed black from the amount of blood pouring out. His eyes barely focus on mine while his face turns ashen. "Issa..." he whispers. "Why didn't you stay away like I told you?" he winces and coughs blood onto his hand. "...You need to...to r-run..."

"Shut up! I'm not leaving without you! You're going to be okay, just h-hold on!" I say urgently. He shakes his head. "..H-he's right..behind...you..." I nod, wiping a trickle of blood away from his mouth. "I know. I don't care."

"You should," Germany calls from behind me. He cocks the gun again. "Who triggers the bomb?" I let out a very forced laugh as I continue trying to tend to Zack. "You can't kill me." I know he knows it, too. Without me, he only has one or two vials of blood. Hardly any, if he wants to take over the world.

Germany is silent for a long time while I quietly try to save Zack's life, but it's not like I have any idea what I'm doing. I take off my/ Zack's hoodie and use it as a tourniquet around his stomach. I try to hide my internal panic, both for Zack's sake and mine. Even though I'm ignoring the insane German behind me, I still refuse to let him see me cry. But soon, his presence is becoming a nuisance to me, and I snap. "Aren't you going to do anything?"

He is confused. "What do you mean?" I finally stand and turn around, crossing my arms over my chest. "I don't know, kill me, torture me, kidnap me, anything! Don't just stand there!" Even from me, the words sound crazy, but the longer he is puzzled, the longer I have with Zack. I know Germany won't let me back inside now that he's got me.

I put Zack's arm around my shoulder and stand up with him, wincing when I hear his hardly-conscious moan of pain. "Time's up. I'm leaving," I call over my shoulder. The gun is raised again. "I may not be able to kill you, but your little boyfriend will be easy to finish."

I kick open the door and lay Zack in the hall. I call for help, but re-enter the courtyard before it can come. The sight of Zack desperately trying to force me back inside despite his pain causes a lump to build in my throat. Before Germany can do anything, I kick the wall and a sheet of ice falls from the roof. Germany is confused again, but I know what I'm doing.

I pick up a large piece of ice and hold it against me arm, point down. Right over my artery. "If you want my blood, you'd better do what I say," I calmly tell him. A part of my brain is aware that I am attempting suicide again, but for the most part, I am angry. I'm fed up of being afraid of Germany. I hate him for breaking me, for breaking Renae, shooting Zack, having his soldiers shoot Josh. I don't care if I die. My moment of revenge is finally here.

Germany's eyes narrow. "You wouldn't," he accuses me suspiciously. "Oh, but I would," I almost cheerfully reply. I dig the point into my arm, just enough to bring forth a drop of blood, to show my point. "Don't," Germany says. Now it is my turn to be confused: he sounds genuinely concerned. "What are your terms?"

The door opens behind me. "Issa!" I hear Lauren shriek, "What the bloody heck are you doing?" I also hear frantic voices in Russian, Chinese, and English. "Ending this," I say. "Don't worry about me. Help Zack."

"But, Issa-" I cut across Lauren's protest with a firm, "Help. Zack." She must be as startled as I am at the imperative tone that I never recall using in my life. "No...I-Issa...N-no..." Zack moans, shifting feebly on the now blood-stained interior of the hallway. Out of the corner of my eye, a grim-faced Dimah lifts the weakly struggling boy in his arms. Dimah gives me one last long look. Zack's groaning gets louder until he's screaming. "No...N-no!..Issa! ISSA!"

A small hand places itself on my shoulder; I jump, not expecting this. Without taking the slowly-melting ice off my arm, I turn. "Jia Li, go back," I say rather harshly. She says something in Chinese, trying to take the shard away. "No!" I hiss at her, "Go back!" She flinches at my intensity but doesn't leave. "Lauren, you do realize how important it is that you stay inside, right?" I ask her. "Why, Issa?" she asks me, and I am startled by the amount of grief and sorrow in her voice. "Don't you realize how important that you leave this _dumkoff_ and walk away? It's not worth it, believe me..."

"Exactly," I tell her, ignoring the last part, "I can't give him any ideas to use against you! Please, Lauren, get Jia Li and yourself inside." I turn back to a bored-looking Germany. Before I can tell him my demands, a different voice is heard. "_Issa, don't. Please. Drop it, it's not worth it."_ I choke back another lump in my throat. "Josh, go inside." I can hear Lauren talking softly and gently to him in a restricted voice, and the door closes. The courtyard is silent. I still have my half-melted icicle poised over my arm, and Germany still has his gun cocked and pointed at the door.

"Put it down," I order. When he starts to protest, I dig the blade slightly further in. The gun clatters to the ground as a few more drops of blood roll down my exposed arm. "What are your terms?" he asks again.

"Surrender."

"Never."

I shrug. "Have it your way." I raise the ice over my head, aiming for the thin cut already there. The icicle is about to find its way into my artery when Germany's voice echoes around. "Don't," he says again. Again, I falter in puzzlement. "Why?" my voice resounds harshly, "The only reason for you to stop me is so you can take over the world." This time, I line up the shard against the cut, planning on slashing instead of stabbing. "And I won't let that happen."

Before I can regret, I swipe the sharp, cold weapon through my artery. At once, a spout of blood squirts out of my arm like a fountain. "There," I declare in triumph, "I only have about three minutes left. I hope you're happy." Fog gradually extends across my vision as I watch the blood pour out of my arm to the rhythm of my beating heart. With every heartbeat, another fountain of blood squirts out. I feel a hand on my arm, blocking the blood momentarily. "What are you doing?" I hiss, struggling fruitlessly against Germany's grip. "I am your enemy! Just let me die with a little dignity, please!"

"You're not going to die..." Germany's voice is muffled slightly through the pounding in my ears. "I just cut my artery, I'm going to die!" He shakes his head; is it me, or are his eyes a little unfocused? He's staring at a point over my shoulder... "You're not going to die, Italy. It's just a scratch." He sounds... amused. Like he's recalling a funny anecdote. Germany smiles dreamily. "Go get washed off, Italy. Meet me at my place in an hour, and we'll make pasta." He releases my freely bleeding arm, walks a couple steps away, and vanishes in a blaze of light.

Up until that point, I had no idea that Germany was the only thing keeping me upright; and with him gone, I crumple in the snow. My eyes follow the pool of blood leaking into the snow bank, dying it red. I feel wetness in my hand, and I see the melted puddle of water that was my weapon; floating on the water is a drop or two of the crimson liquid. I lay in the snow, in the cold, in peace. I am going to die. And I'm not afraid. Now that I feel myself already bleeding out, dying isn't as scary to me as it was when I was going to jump. I find myself accepting death, much like Peter Pan. 'To die will be an awfully big adventure.' Peter laughs in the face of death. As I do now. **(I no own Peter Pan.)**

I feel a warmth wrap around me. A part of my mind accepts this; maybe death is always this warm. The heat makes me feel giddy, like I'm flying. I feel like I'm soaring. This air has a lot of turbulence, though. I am bobbing up and down in my flight path. From somewhere far away, a voice cries, "It doesn't matter, just fix her! She's almost gone!" I realize that I was just carried to somewhere. Though my eyes are still open, the only thing that registers to me is white.

Have I died yet? This is certainly a long process. But, if I'm dead, why does my arm still hurt? Will this throbbing stay with me forever?

A sharp pain laces through my arm, then numbness tingles through it. "Is she conscious?" a voice asks. "Barely," a second one answers grimly. I can feel a tugging sensation on my arm. Curious, I lift my other hand, only to have it hit a different one, and this new hand grasps mine tightly. "_Issa,_" a new voice says mournfully. "_Issa." _I tilt my gaze to the left, and I see red. My vision focus on my arm, a large, deep gash a few inches below the crook of my elbow. A pair of hands pokes a needle through my skin and pulls black thread through. Feeling sick, I turn my head back towards the ceiling and close my eyes.

I am aware of sounds all around me. The majority of it is sobbing. Another is my name, over and over. One voice snaps at everyone else to be quiet or get out. But all the voices stay. My hand, the one that is encased in a different one, is lifted up to a pair of lips. Wetness trickles on my palm. Tears. Slowly, I rub my pointer finger up and down the thin path made by the tear. The hand just grips mine tighter.

"It's no good," a voice says, "she's lost too much blood. Get me the plasma." Plasma?...Ow! Something else stabs my arm. "Whoa, hey! Calm down! Issa, stop, you're going to be alright! Just stop moving and let me just- there! Stay still...you're okay...stay still..." Was I moving just then? I didn't feel it.

The hands around my hurt arm disappear, only to have smaller ones take mine. A voice I recognize to be a friend's sobs. "Why? Why'd you do it? Issa, why? You should've left him to someone else! Why do you always have to be such a bloody hero?"

L-Lauren?...

She's mad at me...She needs to know why...I need to apologize...

"...I-I'm...s-sorry..." I hear my voice croak. I make both my hands tighten around the others, both Lauren's and the unknown person's. "Everyone shut up!" Lauren yells, and everyone is silent. "What, Issa?"

I struggle for words. "M'sorry...Was...right thing...to...do...M'sorry..." I rasp. Before I can hear anyone's reaction, I pass out. And the nightmares start.

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Rin's POV

I hear a loud, anxious voice down the hall. "Aw," Alex complains from across the room, "we're missing something." Sydney stands up and stretches. "Let's go find out." They both start walking to the door, and I follow them. The hallway is deserted, except for the human boy with silver hair and purple eyes. He comes from the east, and he is carrying a curious lump. With a start, I notice the bloodstains on it. Him. The boy is carrying another boy, who has dark red blood dripping from his stomach.

I gasp and latch on to Sydney's sleeve; my noise is noticed by the silver-haired boy, and he is startled at first by the three of us, then he talks angrily in Russian, aiming his words mostly at Sydney and I. He is furious, for some reason. Perhaps Issa is right, we do look like Potato and Sushi, and this is why he is cross with us. But soon, he realizes his mistake and continues down the hall.

"Who d'you suppose that was, and with whom?" I ask nervously. "I don't know, but they're human," Alex replies, "So, d'you wanna follow him and see what's happening, or go the way he came?" I shrug, not really caring, and Sydney votes for seeing where he came from.

We walk down the hall until we find a small group of people; humans, our age. Lauren is among them, and so is the girl who looks like Panda. A boy with thick eyebrows and blond hair is also here, fighting against Lauren's restraint; for such a small girl, she is strong. However, Lauren is crying, and the other girl is terribly pale and staring out a window, where two figures are. "Hey, hey, calm down!" Alex cries, helping Lauren hold back the boy. "What's going on?"

Lauren chokes out a few unintelligible syllables and shakes her head. The panicking boy stops fighting and starts yelling in English. "_Let go of me! I'm fine!"_ I do not speak English, but Sydney knows the basics along with being fluent in German and Japanese; Alex is fluent in Italian and Japanese, and I am only fluent in Japanese, although I know quite a bit of Chinese. Sydney tells Alex what the boy wants, and Alex releases him, and he joins the girl by the window.

Sydney grasps a hysterical Lauren by her shoulders. "What happened?" Lauren desperately takes a few beep breaths and says, "I-Issa j-just c-cut her a-artery! A-and we can't g-go g-get h-her until G-Germ-many l-leaves, or he'll k-kill us!" Alex stares at her. "She _what?_" Before Lauren can answer, he takes a place next to the others at the window. The blond nation, who looks like Sydney, is outside, and the other figure, the one with her back on us, is Issa; there is certainly an abundance of blood. As we watch, Potato's gaze slowly fixes on Alex, and he smiles. I can see his lips move, but the wall and glass block both the sound and his presence. Potato lets go of Issa's bleeding arm, and he vanishes in a flash of light. Issa immediately wobbles on her feet and collapses in the snow.

Lauren lets out a strangled gasp. She seems torn between rushing out there to get her, or running down the hall to get help. But, a few seconds later, a presence that is not familiar comes from behind us. I feel like getting a fluffy yellow canary and dancing around with it while listening to heavy metal music and screaming, "I'M AWESOME!" I do not like this nation already.

Lauren breaks out of her horrified trance. "Prussia, go get Issa," she orders in a shaky voice. When he starts to ask why, she screeches, "Just do it!" The nation lifts up his hands in a whatever-just-leave-me-alone gesture and walks into the courtyard. He is shocked by the amount of blood, but, luckily, he seems aware of her need for immediate medical care. Prussia, Lauren calls him, scoops Issa up in his arms and starts sprinting down the hallway. Everyone else runs with him.

The heating/cooling process begins to run faster as we encounter another nation in the hospital room. He is startled by Issa's predicament and asks, "What happe-", but Lauren screams, "It doesn't matter, just fix her! She's almost gone!" This is true: Issa's breathing is slowing down.

The nation, Scones, who looks exactly like the boy in our midst, orders, "Put her on the bed," in a quiet voice to Prussia. "Is she conscious?" he asks, raising his voice as he turns around and starts pawing through a drawer. "Barely," Prussia answers solemnly. Scones returns, and the room is silent and tense as he stitches Issa's arm. Issa slowly gropes the air when she feels the needle enter her arm. The human who looks like Scones takes her hand, tears silently coursing down his face. With everyone else's attention on Scones and Issa, this goes unnoticed by everyone but me, so I pretend not to see him crying. "_Issa,"_ he murmurs, "_Issa."_ Issa tilts her head towards her hurt arm and watches bemusedly as Scones puts another stitch in her arm. She blinks, turns her head back toward the ceiling, and closes her eyes. Lauren stops trying to hide her tears and sobs openly, holding her hand over her mouth as she watches her best friend, probably wondering whether or not she'll live. The girl who looks like Panda also starts crying in worry. Scones snaps at them, "Be quiet or get out," but they both stay, not bothering to muffle their sounds of grief. The human boy lifts Issa's hand to his face. Issa has not lost consciousness yet, as she strokes his face with one finger.

Scones looks over at Prussia anxiously. "It's no good, she's lost too much blood. Get me the plasma." Prussia, who was watching tensely, jerks out of his trance and mumbles, "Oh. Right. Me," as he turns and rummages through a drawer; Scones snaps his fingers impatiently when Prussia hasn't given it to him after two seconds. Prussia hands him a plastic bag connected to a pole. "This is O-negative?" Scones asks quietly. When Prussia nods, he takes a needle that is connected to the plastic bag and is about to insert it in Issa's arm when she gasps and starts thrashing. "Whoa, hey!" he yells. "Calm down! Issa, stop, you're going to be alright! Just stop moving and let me- there!" Scones cries in triumph when he pokes the IV needle into Issa's cut and secures it with medical tape. "Stay still...You're okay...Stay still..." he says in a calming tone as he helps the boy hold her down until she lays still once again.

Scones lets go of Issa's mangled arm and sits down in a plastic chair with a huff of relief, but he pinches the bridge of his nose with his fingers in exhaustion. Lauren moves up and gently takes her hand. "Why? Why'd you do it? Issa, why? You should've left him to someone else! Why do you always have to be such a bloody hero?" she sobs. Recognizing her voice, Issa squeezes her hand, mumbling something. In the commotion both in and out of the room (where more and more nations are making our reactions faster), no one can hear what she says, but we all see her lips move. "Everyone shut up!" Lauren yells. The nations outside, who were making the most of the noise, fall silent immediately. "What, Issa?" she asks, moving closer to hear Issa better.

"M'sorry...Was...right thing...to...do...M'sorry..." she croaks quietly. And with that, both of Issa's hands go limp. Lauren gasps, then realizes that she is still breathing. "Oh, thank goodness..." she murmurs, clutching her heart. Even though she knows Issa can't hear her, Lauren says to her, "When you wake up, I'm going to kill you, and that's a bloody promise."

I look around the room. There are two other cots, both of them occupied. One of them is a girl my age that looks like the unconscious boy that the Russian was carrying, and the other is a girl with long bronze hair. Both of them are sleeping, despite the noise. My thoughts wander back to the bloody human. Where is he? Is he alright?

A nation shoves through the door; Frying Pan. Scones jumps up again when he sees her. "Zack?" Frying Pan shakes her head. "Austria and Liechtenstein are doing their best, but he's not doing well." She looks through the drawers, takes a roll of sterile medical tape, and walks out again. I suppose that they are talking about the boy.

**My computer died here about four hours from home. And so did my ipod. -_- Yippee. But, now I is home. Yay! o3o**

Lauren sits down on the floor and buries her face in her hands. The Russian boy sits next to her, looping his arm around her shoulders. Lauren shakes as she sobs brokenly. All this time, the boy who looks like Scones holds Issa's lifeless hand, no longer crying, but his emerald eyes stare at her face as if he can never stop looking at her; he loves her. He really does.

I look at Issa's unconscious face. If what she said about her blood is true, then I do see why she did this to herself. She was protecting her loved ones from Potato. He would use her blood to destroy them, along with everyone else in the world. I would do the same thing in her shoes to protect Alex and Sydney. I glance at them. Alex is sitting on a plastic chair, biting his fingernails. I shoot him a look, and he stops. Sydney is standing beside me, looking worried. Both of them, like me, are still reacting from the nations everywhere. Sweat, shiver; sweat, shiver. Over and over. But none of us want to leave. Issa helped us. We have no right to take her protection for granted. Yes, staying by her sickbed is a good way to show that we are thankful for what she has done for us.

Issa shifts slightly in her sleep, lets out a whimper, and her hands tighten around what they are holding: the boy's hand and a fistful of blanket. At her little muscle spasm, the boy jerks out of his trance and starts to whisper reassurances to her, like she can hear him. Issa's head tilts towards his, but she remains unconscious. She murmurs a few words under her breath that I can't quite make out, and a glossy sheen of cold sweat appears on her forehead. She shivers in her sleep. Issa draws in a shaky breath, and tears run down her face, wetting her glasses. The boy takes them off and puts them to the side, and then he starts talking just a bit louder. But he is not talking. He is singing, and in Japanese. Not perfectly- he does pronounce some words wrong. But his voice is soft and sweet, although it cracks a few times, and it's obvious that Issa knows this song, too; she shifts so that she is laying on her side towards him.

"_Lonely girl wa itsumade mo_

_Todokanai yume mite_

_Sawagu atama no naka wo_

_Kakimawashite_

_Kakimawashite..._

_Modainai totsubu yaite_

_Kotoba wa ushina wareta_

_Mou shippai, mou shippai_

_Machigai sagashi ni owareba_

_Mata mawaru no_

_Mou ikkai, mou ikkai_

_Watashi wa kyou mo korigarimasu to_

_Shoujo iu, shoujo iu_

_Kotoba ni imi wo kanade nagara_

_Mou ikkai, mada desu yo_

_Mada mada saki no miena no de_

_Imi wo tomeru no ima_

_Rolling girl no nare no hate_

_Todokanai mukou no iro_

_Kasanaru koe to koe wo_

_Maze awashite, Maze awashite_

_Modanai totsubu yaite_

_Kotoba wa ushinawareta_

_Dounattatte iin datte_

_Samachigai datte okochi chaou to sasou sakamichi_

_Mou ikkai, mou ikkai_

_Watashi wa kyou mo korigarimasu to_

_Shoujo iu, shoujo iu_

_Mukuchi ni imi wo kasane nagara_

_Mou ikkai, mou sukoshi_

_Mosogu nanikaniru daro to_

_Iki wo tomeru no ima..." _**(Rolling Girl by Hatsune Miku. :3 One of my favorite songs~ But I don't own it. I think the person who wrote it is called 'wowaka'. Maybe possibly I don't know. =^=)**

Issa lies still for a few seconds. Then, I see a muscle ripple in her right hand, indicating that she just squeezed the boy's hand. Her eyes flutter open. Issa's blue eyes stare uncomprehendingly into the boy's concerned green ones. She flexes her left wrist, and she seems to remember what happened. "Hi, Josh," she whispers in a hoarse voice. "I didn't know you could sing." She gives a weak smile, and I see what she is trying to do. Issa doesn't want to be yelled at. I assume she knows the gravity of her actions, and, of course, she doesn't want to handle the consequences at the moment. I wouldn't, either. In fact, I believe that most humans would react this way, preoccupying loved ones with topics completely unrelated to the situation in order to delay the outcome.

The boy, Josh, strokes a few strands of hair away from her eyes. "_I hate not knowing what you say,"_ he grumbles good-naturedly. Issa seems to be fighting hard for consciousness. "Gonna pass out..." she warns. A few seconds later, this is exactly what she does.

Germania's POV

"Wake up," a voice orders. "C'mon, kid, mall's closing. Get up." I open my eyes. "Eh?" I ask groggily. "Get your friend and get out, mall's closed. " The voice comes from a scrawny, pimply man with thick spectacles. "Oh. Okay. Get up," I say to Rome, giving him a kick for good measure. His head jerks up. "Whozzat?"

"C'mon, we have to leave," I tell him. Rome smartly recognizes my no-nonsense tone and flops from the bench on to the floor. "Mmkay, I'm up." He stands up, as I do, but he waves to the man. "Goodbye, keeper of the malls. May your future be prosperous."

"Florence..." I hiss, dragging him away. "Humans don't do that anymore." I glance over my shoulder and see the man looking puzzled, and I force Rome to walk faster. He stumbles a few steps as he rubs his eyes with his knuckles. "Oh. Mmkay." We walk out the doors and shiver. "Where we gonna go now?" Rome yawns. I shake my head. "I don't know." A few feet ahead, a woman stops. She squints at us, and then checks a book in her hands. A German-to-English translator book. Little red flags go up in my head, and I steer Rome around the other way. We have the appearance of ten-year-olds, so humans will put us in orphanages if they know that we are alone. And if that happens, we can't finish our quest. I glance back at the woman. She has brownish-red hair and blue eyes. Her eyes hold so much sadness and grief, but they are fixed on the book in her hands, and not at us.

I hear her call out to us in English, and then in German. "Wait!" But we are already turning into an alleyway. I pull Rome down against a dumpster. The woman rushes past us without looking at our hiding place. Good. We need to carry out our mission. "Alright, let's go," I whisper cautiously to Rome. Then I hear a cry of, "_There you two are!"_

What do humans use nowadays?

Ah, yes.

Crap.

I start to take off, but the woman grasps my shoulder. "_Whoa, whoa, hey, uh..._Calm down, I just want to ask question," she says in broken German. "_Um..._Have you seen these girls?" she asks, stumbling over her words. She takes a flat painting from her pocket. "You seem about her age," she says, pointing at the smaller of the two girls on the painting. Rome takes one look at it and shakes his head, but I take the painting from her hand and study it. There are two girls, one about thirteen, and the other around ten. The eldest has shoulder-length brownish-blonde hair and glasses. She is sitting on the grass, giggling as she holds the smaller girl loosely in her arms. The other girl has brownish-red hair, and she is making a face at the painter. Around them there is grass and sunshine and trees in the distance. This is a very happy scene. But my eyes flicker back to the younger girl, and I realize that I have seen her before. Chained to a wall in the darkness of a basement, refusing medicine from Prussia, crying quietly as a small dog growls fruitlessly. This is Germany's victim.

"Have you seen them?" the woman asks again. Hmm...should I tell her and have to explain everything, or walk away and leave her to search for these girls when I am possibly the only person who has even a vague wisp of an idea of where at least one of them is? Decisions, decisions...

"I...I have seen her, but not here," I say, pointing at the youngest. "Understand?" The woman takes a few minutes to translate in her book, and then she sighs. "_Figures..._Thank you..." The look of sorrow on her face makes me falter. "Are these your daughters?" I ask. She stops. "Yes. They were taken from me." This, I know. Well, at least for the youngest. But to lose both children? To my grandson? He must be in worse shape than I thought! Quickly, I make a descion. "Would you like us to help look?"

**And scene! Ta-daaaaa! :3 Heh. I'm torturng the characters again. XD o3o They're not very happy with me. **

**EINS! Are you mad at me for making Issa attempt suicide again? o3o**

**DEUX! How do you think everyone will react when Issa wakes up for real?**

**RANDOM QUESTION! Can you say 'Irish wristwatch' five times fast without messing up? XD**

**SAN! Has Doitsu finally lost it? XD **

**QUATRO! Will Rome and Germania and Mrs. Issa's-and-Renae's-mom be able to fix Germany in time? o3o**

**Okay. :3 heh. heh heh heh. **

**Oh, yeah. I almost forgot, happy summer vacation, minna-san! :3 **


	5. Issa's nightmares

**Only four reviews...? o^o ...Okay...**

**Thank you to Hetalia-EnglandthePirate, Tabby-tan, fireflame1801 (not 1810! I gots it right this time. :3), and CelticGirl7. **

**So, I checked my poll-thingy that I did a while back, and Josh/Issa is winning with six people, and Issa/Zack and other are tied with five each. But seriously, Y U NO SPECIFY? Just, PM me your choice, because I don't know who the other person is! SRSLY. SERIOUSLY BLACK. XD I had to. I love Harry Potter. :3 But I don't own it. Although I've said that about twenty times. And for later on in this chapter, I don't own The Deathly Hallows. Maybe. oh, right, I don't own Hetalia, either. Sorry. **

**Yeah. I'm bored. I've got nothing else to do, so, yeah. Mmhmm. True story. **

**Here we go~~~**

Issa's POV

I am running. Sprinting through a forest. Towards an unknown goal. _They'll already be dead when you get there,_ a voice tells me. "Shut up," I mumble. But when I reach a clearing, I see them. The bodies. Curled around in a semi-circle. Dead.

I stop. My eyes widen in horror and disgust. My fingers start to shake. I look at the nearest body and suck in a gasp. Renae. Her tiny body is bloody, her eyes blank and staring, her last scream etched on her face. I let out a noise similar to the sound of a cat being strangled and stumble back, only to fall over another body. I scramble on my feet upon recognition. Lauren. Her hair is matted with blood and spread out like a fan on the ground. She was obviously stabbed to death. "No..." I whisper.

My head whips back and forth as I confirm the identities of the victims. My mom. Zack. Josh. Dimah. Harvey. Jia Li. Josie. Alina. Vera. Rin. Alex. Sydney. England. Canada. America. Austria, Hungary, Prussia, Russia, France, China. And...me. Trying to ebb the flow of panic rushing through me, I edge towards the corpse. Yes, this is me. It looks like I had gotten the most violent demise. I'll spare you the description; you can thank me later. _But if I'm dead, then this is a dream..._ part of me thinks as I start crying. "What happened?" I ask aloud. _Maybe if I remember, this will stop..._

"I- I...I was in...Australia...no, that's not right...Austria. Yes, I was in Austria. And...I...Why was I in Austria?" I clutch my head, and recoil when I feel blood trickle down my arm. _That cut wasn't there before! _my mind yelps when I spot a deep gash on my left arm, a few inches below my elbow. I put my hand over it and try to staunch the flow of blood. Something about this gives me a pang of remembrance, but I can't remember exactly what. Suddenly, the world around me spins. I scream as I feel my feet leave the ground.

When the world rights itself, I am in a familiar room. My room. In Washington D.C.. I remember this. I was in eighth grade, so this was a year ago. _What's so scary about this?_ I think. _Isn't this supposed to be a nightmare? N-not like I'm complaining!_ Suddenly, I feel a stab of pain. Not physical, but emotional. Tears run down my face as I stare at a soiled book in my hands. What happened that day replays in my head.

_"You're such a nerd, Bella!" a boy sneered at me. I ignored him and continued reading, but I blinked a few times at the nickname. My full name was Isabella, but that's too long, and I hated the name Bella, so I became Issa. But not to the bullies. To them, I was Bella. _Shut up,_ I thought, _Shut up and leave me alone._ But they didn't. The little posse of delinquent boys circled me, and the ringleader snatched my copy of _The Deathly Hallows_ out of my hands. "Give it back, please," I said, holding my hand out for it. "Hmm..." the boy pretended to think about it. "No." An evil smirk passed over his lips as he broke the spine of the book. I struggled against my feelings of hurt and anger to keep my face emotionless. The bully then started to tear pages out at random, crumple them up, and toss them over his shoulder at the puddle of rain water behind him. The rest of the book followed. He and his gang walked away, careful to step on the remains. "See ya later, Bella!" they leered. _

_I looked over my shoulder at the lunch monitor. He didn't notice anything. Again. Figures. I fished out the soggy pages and stuck them in an acceptable form back in the cover while I bit my lip to prevent myself from bursting into tears. Suddenly, I got that eerie feeling that I was being watched. A glance to my right proved this to be true. A boy stood there, and I think his name was Josh. When he saw me looking at him, he quickly adverted his gaze. Yeah, that's what I thought. No one wants to help the geek. No one wanted to be seen dead with the nerd. No one would care if I drowned myself here and now in this puddle. Before I thought about that too much, I heard the bell ring, and I walked away, carefully putting the wet book in a plastic bag. _

So that's why this is a part of my nightmare. The overwhelming feelings of sorrow, rage, hurt. _Useless_, I think. _You're never going to be anything. They're right. I'm a freak. A nerd. A geek. _

"Shut up!" I exclaim suddenly, out loud. "This is in the past! It doesn't matter anymore! Think, Issa, why were you in Austria?" I was in Austria, I know that for a fact. Maybe my real body is still there now. But _why_? "I...ran...away..." I choke out. "From...America..." Again, the sensation of blood on my arm is here. "Stop that, I'm trying to remember," I snap at the cut.

Suddenly, the room spins again, and the dream changes. I am in an alleyway with my father and a man in black. I already know what happens: the gun is shot. My father is hit. Blood pours from his stomach. He dies. But knowing what happened that night doesn't make the shock go away. I still feel the blow now, ten years later. I still relive his last moments. Relive the funeral. Relive the tears I shared with Mom. And it hurts. More than words, it hurts. I feel myself clutch my head. "STOP!" I scream. "STOP IT!" Tears gush out of my eyes as I howl. This is too much. But then, I remember what I need to do to awaken. "I was in Austria because I ran away from America!" I recite. "Why did I run away?" I ask myself. I curl into a ball and rock back and forth until the answer comes to me. "I was trying to save someone!" I gasp. "I was in Austria because I ran away from America and tried to save someone!"

But as soon as I say that, the blood drips down my left arm and the room spins again. As soon as I recover another piece of the puzzle, I start bleeding and my mind shows me another scene meant to torture me. But I can't seem to remember why my arm keeps bleeding, but I sense an urgency for that memory. Something important is linked to the cut.

"REMEMBER!" I scream at myself after I watch Lauren get ripped to shreds. "REMEMBER, OR YOU'LL NEVER WAKE UP!" Scene after scene of terror pass through my dream self's vision: violent scenes of my friends dying, my father's last moments, myself in my room with all the emotions, and more. So much more. Over and over and over. Too many times. But I manage to piece together more. "I was in Austria because I ran away from America to save England because Germany made him insane, but I got caught, and Austria and Hungary saved me, and then I tried to kill myself to help everyone, but I met Lauren, and then Germany shot Zack and-" I stop abruptly. What happened after that? My arm bleeds again, but this time, it gushes harder than ever. _Gonna die..._ a part of me whispers. Before I can ever figure out what happened after Germany shot Zack, I regain consciousness.

_"...Iki wo tomeru no ima..."_ a voice sings. I notice that my right arm is upright, and my hand is enveloped on another one. Curious, I squeeze the hand, and open my eyes to see who it is. I blink a few times in the whiteness of the room, and my eyes focus mostly on Josh; my glasses are lying to the side. My left arm suddenly throbs, and I move my wrist. Oh. That's what happened after Germany shot Zack. I cut my artery. I look back to the right. "Hi, Josh," I force my voice to say. "I didn't know you could sing." Yes, I only heard the last verse, but what I heard was Rolling Girl. The song I played on my invisible piano in the basement of Germany's house while sitting next to Josh. I didn't think he would remember that. He must've thought I was crazy to be freaking out at that magnitude.

"_I hate not knowing what you say,"_ Josh sighs as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. I smile at him, and then frown when I am suddenly aware of tears on my face. The story of my nightmare wants to just explode out of me, but it doesn't. I feel myself drifting off, much to my panic. I don't want to go back to that torture! "Gonna pass out..." I warn in my hoarse voice. _Don't let me sleep..._ I desperately think. But my thoughts stay to myself as I lose consciousness again.

_Oh, crap, no!_ I think. I run over the reason of why I was in Austria over and over in my head, hoping that this will ward off the nightmares. But it doesn't. The reason stays with me, but I am tossed in a terrible scene of a burned forest. I am tied tightly to a tree. Acid rain runs over my body, burning me. To make matters worse, Germany is here. Cutting me with a knife. I already have ten cuts on my arms and neck, but he keeps adding more; to my head, to my stomach, my legs. The tank top and shorts that I'm wearing are quickly soaked with my blood. Then, Germany holds me over a giant bucket, letting my blood drip off of me. He tosses me to the side, and I writhe with pain. The acid rain burns into my cuts. How am I even alive? Germany mixes more blood to mine, and then fills a lot of smaller containers with them. Then, with inhuman aim, he tosses the smaller containers at other countries, and I watch them go up in flames. America. England. Canada. Even Japan. Everyone. Gone. Then...Italy. Germany saved him for last. I sob hopelessly as I watch the flames lick poor Feli's skin. Then, there's no use for me. And after all the trouble I've caused for him, a sadistic thought seems to set in Germany's now charcoal-black eyes. He begins to cut me over and over again, deeper each time. Then, Germany steps back watches with cruel satisfaction as I scream and thrash pathetically on the ground until my painfully short life skids to a stop.

My eyes open in the hospital room once again. I take in a few shuddering gasps while tears pour down the sides of my face. "Issa?" I hear Lauren ask. "What's wrong?" I give my head a little shake and squeeze my eyes shut, yet the tears still come. "Calm down," she orders. "Can't," I choke. "Why not?" she asks. I feel her hand slip gently into my left one, being careful to not move my arm any. I only shake my head again, telling her wordlessly that I'm crying too hard to speak. "Nightmare?" Lauren asks. I nod, trying to rub tears away from my eyes; I don't know where Josh is, but my right hand is empty. I am startled when I feel a tube for oxygen looped under my nose, but I try to leave that alone. "I get nightmares a lot," Lauren remarks. "Most of the time, it's about France eating my cookies." I, not expecting this, laugh until they turn into coughs, which doesn't take long. "Sorry, "Lauren says. "I didn't mean to make you laugh that hard. Just trying to make you feel better." I nod. "S'okay. Josh?" I ask. Lauren giggles a bit. "He fell asleep. England woke him up and made him leave, but I'm pretty sure he'll be back soon." I nod. "Zack?" I hold my breath and hope for good news. It scares me when Lauren hesitates. "He'll be fine," she finally says in a falsely happy voice. "Lauren..." I mumble. It is to my horror when I realize that I'm drifting into sleep again, and I clutch Lauren's hand. "Don't let me sleep," I beg, opening my eyes to look pleadingly into hers. "You need to sleep," she says in a comforting voice. "I'll stay right here. Anytime you need me, you just wake right up and sister Lauren will be here." I cringe. "I...don't want..." I moan, but sleep overtakes me.

This time, I materialize in a dark room. There are a lot of poles in a circle around me. "You can only save one..." a cold reptilian voice hisses at me. All at once, all my friends and family, both nations and humans, are there, tied to a pole. Fire ignites around each one of them, and all I am aware of are screams. The loudest one comes from me. I scream and cry and shout as I watch my friends burn. I run around, trying to loosen each rope, but I'm not fast enough. Soon, I am standing in a dark room full of poles and ashes and screams. One scream is my own, a long, piercing siren that never seems to stop. But there are others, too. The screams of everyone who just died right before my eyes. I curl up and press my hands over my ears, but that only makes it louder. "How regrettable," a voice says. I lift my head a fraction of an inch and come face-to-face with a girl who looks like me. However, there are big differences between us. Like the way the tips of her brownish-blonde hair are dyed black, how she wears a black shirt that exposes her stomach with a tiny white skirt, and how she wears high-heels; I wouldn't be caught dead looking like that.

"You couldn't even protect one of them," the girl sneers, kicking a pile of ashes at her feel. "Wh-who are y-you?" I stutter. She smirks. "I'm Yami," she replies, "that evil part of you. Or, the awesome part. You're too lame to ever let me have my way. No, it's all about everyone else, isn't it? Although, I kinda have to agree with you there. You're insignificant. You're nothing. Pathetic, weak, geeky Bella," she spits at me. "Shut up..." I whisper, clutching my head. "Y'know, I don't even know how you even escaped Germany the first time. All of your plans fail."

"Shut up," I say again, louder. "What?" Yami asks, her heavily make-up-ed face morphing into an expression of mock surprise. "I'm just being truthful! I don't know why Josh and Zack fight over _you_. Well, make that just Josh. Zack'll die soon-" "SHUT _UP_!" I scream. A tornado of wind, ashes, and mud circles me, and I am lifted into the air, but I continue screaming at Yami. "JUST _SHUT UP_ AND _LEAVE._ _ME._ _ALONE!_"

I wake up again, sit up while ripping out the IV and the oxygen tube, and begin thrashing until I pull my pillow out from under me. I pummel it brutally, all while sobbing and shrieking at the top of my lungs, "I _HATE_ YOU! I _HATE_ YOU!"

Lauren immediately appears, this time on my right side, and pins my arms to my side, the fluffy remains of the pillow spreading across the room. I struggle against her for a little, but then I sit still, crying into her shoulder. "Shh...It's okay..." she whispers, patting me on the back. "Lie back down," she orders. I do as instructed. Canada comes this time and reinserts the IV into my injured arm. "You can't take this out, Issa. When we feel like you're ready for it, we'll take it out," he scolds me. "I'm sor-ry," I whimper through a hiccup. "It's okay," he says. "but you need to rest." I jump and shake my head like that is the worst possible punishment. But for me, right now, it is. Who knows how many times I'll see and feel my own demise, scream for everyone to run while they are destroyed, cry as I am forced to watch my father's cold-blooded murder. Canada gives me a funny look at my sudden panic at the thought of sleep, but Lauren explains softly, "Nightmares. Bloody awful ones, by the way she's reacting." Comprehension crosses Canada's face, and he turns around to look for something. I look out the window and am startled to find darkness. "What time is it?" I ask.

"I don't know. Two in the morning, maybe," Lauren says. I stare at her. "Forget about me, it's you that needs sleep!" I protest. "No, I'll be fine. Insomnia, you know," she replies carelessly, waving her hand. I shrug. "If you say so..." I stare at the ceiling. "I don't want to sleep," I whisper. "Can you tell me what happened in your dreams?" Lauren asks. "Which one?" I ask. "The last one, the one that you just woke up from."

"Well...I was in this room. Everyone was, but you guys were tied to a bunch of poles. And- and then, everyone started burning. I tried to help everyone b-but I-I wasn't fast enough to even save o-one of you...An-and then, a d-different me came, and she said she was evil me. Yami, she called herself. And started telling me everything bad about me that I've thought about myself for ages, an-and I st-started sc-screaming at her to leave me al-alone. And then I woke up and broke the pillow," I recite. Tears softly fell from my eyes, but I laugh at the end when I blow away a stray feather. "Are the others like that?" Lauren asks. I shake my head. "That was the first time I've seen Yami, but I did relive a few of the night when I felt like a complete waste of space."

"You're not a waste of space," Lauren says. "So I've been told," I reply, staring at the ceiling. "What are the others like?" Lauren asks. "W-well, they're more...violent. Gory, usually. No one survives at the end, except for Germany. On occasion, I do, but I'm screaming until I wake myself up. I die a few times, an-and I-I w-watch y-you g-guys d-die...an-and I think ab-about how I'd n-never f-forgive myself if you die because of me..." I stutter myself to a stop and cry, burying my face in my shirt. "Shh, it's alright," Lauren murmurs, stroking a strand of my hair until I leave the ball of fabric-y comfort that is the front of my shirt. "My name's not Bella," I randomly inform her. She gives me a blank look. "People think Bella is a good abbreviation for Isabella, but I don't like to be called Bella. Twilight ruined that name."

**( I don't own Twilight. Also, no offense to any Twi-hards out there. D: I've had good friendships with Twi-hards!) **

Lauren laughs. "I'll keep that in mind," she responds through giggles."By the way," I ask, "where's Renae and Josie?" The ghost of a smile appears on Lauren's lips. "You were screaming too loud, so we moved you in with Zack. He's not such a sound sleeper, either." The words take a minute to process in my mind, and I lift myself up on my elbows and look at another cot in the other corner of the room. A figure lies there, and it relieves me to see him breathing.

"Alright," Canada says as he walks back over. "drink this." I look into the plastic cup he's holding and wrinkle my nose. "Nuh-uh," I say while shaking my head again. "C'mon, it puts you to sleep without nightmares. Guaranteed," he presses on, pushing the cup into my unwilling hands. I look at it again. Red liquid that ripples as my hands shake. It smells like cherry cough syrup. "Um...no." I say again, trying to give the cup back. "Look, you're going to sleep either way," Lauren interjects, making me hold on to the cup. "You're choice, nightmares or no nightmares?" I glare at her, and then at Canada for good measure. But I drink the medicine, shuddering as the artificial flavoring touches my tongue. "Yuck," I sum up after I make an assortment of faces. The two laugh, and I can't help but join in, but only a little. I don't want another coughing fit. This reminds me, I should be wearing that oxygen tube-y thing-y. I pull it over my face and put it on my upper lip. "Moosetache~" I giggle in a failure of a Romano accent. But Lauren laughs more.

As my consciousness wanes, I can't help but feel slightly apprehensive. What if the medicine doesn't work? What if my mind shows me more disturbing images? The thought must occur to Lauren, too, because she starts to sing. Before I can figure out what song, I fall asleep.

**Ta-da! This is just a filler chappie because I WAS SOOOOOO BORED TODAY. I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING. I'M NEVER GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE SUMMER. X^X *sigh* Oh well. Oh, and Art and Soul made a letter column for the cast of zis schtory. So...go ask your questions. I'm not gonna put any questions today because this is just a filler chapter brought up by my loopy mind. :3 But you get a cookie if you review! (:::::) Look at all the chocolate chips~~~ o3o I just know you wanna review for a cookie...:3**

**REVIEW. NAO. PLEASE. AND THANK YOU. Because reviews really just make my day~ :3**


	6. Safe and Sound

**RAWRRRRRRR IMMA DINOSAURRRRRR. **

***insert ASDF movie which I do not own* It worked! My time machine wor-*insert dinosaur* I am a steg-o-sarus. *le not a stegosaurus* XD **

**(::::)-(OWO)/ COOKIE! Cookies for Hetalia-EnglandthePirate, CelticGirl7, Tabby-tan, fireflame1801, nekoNamine, and TheKazemaruSibilings! **

**Heh heh heh. I am currently sitting in my room with my knees covered with red paint. :3 I just painted my dresser, and I need to do it again soon. It needs another coat. o3o **

**HEY. YOU ALL SHOULD READ LAUREN'S STORY BY ART AND SOUL. YEAH. *insert more ASDF movie which I still do not own* Girl: Wow, it's so beautiful out here. Boy: Yeah. Just you, me, and the moon. Moon: HEY! YOU TWO SHOULD KISS! **

**XD I love ASDF movie. My favorite part? **

**THE SCIENCE SHOW~~ Guy: Piano~! *insert piano on top of him* Whose idea was this? **

**XD **

**Just a note, I don't own 'Safe and Sound'. it's by Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars. It is a GORGEOUS song. It's in the Hunger Games soundtrack, but you can listen to it without any spoilers, for all of those who haven't seen/read the books and movie. :3**

**So, yeah. Here we go~~~**

Issa's POV

I open my eyes, blinking as the sunlight shines through the window directly on my face. Add a sharp stab of pain through my left arm, and, well, it's the perfect way to wake up! I bury my head under a new pillow that Lauren must've found after I broke the other one. Where is Lauren? I peek out from under the pillow. She's not here. I hope she slept at least a little bit. I hear movement to my right and direct my gaze over to that direction.

"Morning, Zack," I force my voice to say. He lifts his head a little and gives a weak smile, waving. "How're you?" He shrugs and mouths something. After a few failed attempts at speaking, he shakes his head and pats his throat. "Can't talk?" I guess. He nods. "Does it hurt?" I inquire. Zack hesitates, then gives an unconvincing shake of his head accompanies with a shaky grin. "Liar," I accuse him playfully. His smile widens. _You got me_, he mouths.

"Yeah," I say in understanding. "My arm hurts." Zack seems to remember what happened yesterday, and he strains to reach for a pad of paper and a pen. He writes something and makes a crude paper airplane out of it before throwing it at me. I reach my right hand up and catch it. His note is written in a strange mixture of Japanese and English, but I can read it. _Don't do that ever again. You scared the crap out of me. _"Oh, yeah? Well, I was scared, too. You were bleeding so much," I say, tossing the paper back. Zack scribbles more on the paper and just crumples it up before throwing it back. _I didn't shoot myself. You could've chosen to not make that cut. _

"I know, I know," I say. "You have every right to be mad at me, and I'd be weirded out if you weren't. But I did what was right. Try to see it from my point of view. If I die, Germany doesn't have any blood to make into the bomb, and the whole world is okay. Me living is actually a threat to the welfare of the entire planet."

_Don't talk like that, Issa. The world is a more beautiful place when your around._ "Uh-huh. Right. Everyone loves death-by-explosion. Also, it's Y-O-U-apostrophe- R-E, not Y-O-U-R. You've just been Grammer Nazi'd." I say while chucking the paper at Zack. He isn't as quick this time, and the paper bounces off his nose. I laugh. About halfway through the next message, Zack slumps over, asleep.

"Well, good night to you, too," I sigh, leaning back and closing my eyes. I open them again when I hear the door open and close, and a person sits in the chair to my left. "Hey, Lauren..." I say, my voice scratchy. She jumps violently; I guess she thought I was asleep. But she regains her composure and smiles at me. "Hey, Issa. How are you feeling?" The answer slips out before I can stop it. "...Horrible..." Not wanting her to be mad at me, I quickly add, "I'm sorry..." I truly am sorry for trying to kill myself. I didn't think about everyone being so panic-y about this. I just assumed that they would agree with me. But, to my surprise, Lauren takes my hand and smiles at me. "It's okay. You only wanted to do what's right...I know how that feels...trust me," she says. I smile, relieved; so Lauren understands why, even if she doesn't agree.

"So, guess what?" she asks. Oh, boy. What is it now? "What?" I ask, curious. Lauren only gives me a knowing smirk and waves at the door, and two people walk in. They both have dark brown hair and green eyes, but the first man's hair is messy. I jump when I recognize the second man. "R-Roma-Chan~!" I squeal. I flinch after the pain of my jump sets in. Lauren's smirk widens as she leans down towards my ear. "You can have Roma," she whispers, "Tonio's mine." We both crack up, me a little weakly. Lauren hops up and Romano takes her vacant seat; Spain had sat down on my right.

Suddenly, an evil idea sets in my mind. I fall back on the pillow and weakly wave Romano closer. "Ro-Roma..." I whisper. "What?" he snaps, although I do detect concern in his voice as he eyes my oxygen tube and IV. "Can I...?" I never finish my sentance, because when Romano leans close enough, I yank on his curl. Romano jumps back, his face a deep shade of crimson, and shrieks, "CHIGI!" at the top of his lungs while tears well at the corner of his eyes.

Lauren and Spain both collapse on the ground in loud laughter. Romano pouts and, with a huff and a kick at Spain, leaves the room. I can't help but pout a little as well; finally I meet Romano, and now look what I've done! Spain hurries after him, offering him tomatoes in vain. "It's okay," Lauren says, sitting back down in the chair that Romano just left, "He'll calm down." I smile. "I know...I just wish I wasn't pent up in this bed..." All I want to do right now is run after Romano and cuddle him, but, unfortunately, I am stuck here with an IV in my arm. A slight hissing noise seems to eminate from Lauren, and she mumbles, "Shut up..."

Wait, is she talking to me? I thought she understood why..."Oh, n-no, not you!" Lauren says quickly, "You see, I have this cat in my head that's very cynical and rude. I was talking to him...he was the one that killed me." I look at Lauren's face and quickly decide that she's telling the truth. I think her evil cat is like Yami. I glare at her forehead, sending her kitty a mental threat. _Stupid cat, if you get this than I hate you so much! If you ever try to make Lauren kill herself again, I will send my imaginary dog into Lauren's head and make it kill you!_ On the outside, I smile and chirp, "Okay, then!"

Drowsiness hits me like a hammer to the head, and I am forced to lay down. "I'mma sleep now...'night..." Before I pass out, I feel Lauren pat me on the head and peep, "Sweet dreams!"

I black out and, to my relief, don't dream. It only feels like second that I've slept when I hear a loud voice call, "'I'MMA SHOW ISSA!" right outside the door. The door is opened, and Lauren enters with her Russian. I sit straight up and gasp, but pain makes me fall back on my elbows. "What happened? Why are you two all sweaty? WHAT DID FRANCE DO?" I shriek. Lauren giggles and turns red, while Dimah looks pleasantly confused. Lauren grins and hands me an iPhone decorated with American flag stickers; America's phone, I note. "Watch me dance and sing!" she chirps as she presses play. I watch a video close to three minutes long filled with Lauren singing a song I've never heard of and doing the tango with Dimah. "Dude, you dance?" slips out of my mouth as I smile at the cuteness. Lauren just laughs and nods. Quietly and in broken Japanese, Dimah mumbles, "I do not understand." Lauren goes "Aww~!" and huggles him. The same noise escapes my mouth when I watch Lauren shrug and says, "Aw, heck, why not?" and kiss Dimah. The nations in the room, minus a disapproving Iggy, burst into applause. Lauren looks at the camera and is shocked when she sees that there is a camera. She shrugs and turns to Spain when he cheers, "Maravilloso~!" Lauren and Dimah take a happy bow, and the video ends.

"I know, right?" Lauren trills. Dimah appears to be bored with the girly conversation and leaves the room. "That was so _cute_!" I exclaim. Lauren blushes and answers, "Thanks!" We talk about pretty much nothing for a while before the mallet of sleep collides with me once again. Before I pass out _again_, I complain, "Gr...Why can't I stay awake for more than ten minutes?" Before Lauren answers, I close my eyes and sleep.

Again, the time I have slept feels only like minutes, even though I can see on the clock that it's been a few hours. I am startled when I feel a small body curled up and tucked safely under my right arm."R-Renae?" I stutter, getting up on my left elbow even though it hurts. Renae is looking a lot better: she's showered and the purple bags under her eyes aren't as deep as they were the last time I saw her. She lifts her head at the sound of my voice, and I see tears etching her face. _"Why?"_ she asks brokenly, burying her face into my side. I pet her hair, fighting back tears of my own. "I'm sorry..." I whisper. "I had to..." Renae's little body shakes with sobs. "_What am I going to do if you die? You can't leave me! You can't!_" she exclaims hysterically. "I'm not going to die..." I whisper back to her, ignoring the language barrier. In all honesty...I don't know if I'll die or not...I mean, I did lose a lot of blood...I read the label on the plasma, and it's O negative, which can be used on all blood types... but...what if it doesn't work on my blood? My blood is weird...What if I need a different type to stay alive?

I stroke Renae's hair while a song occurs to me. I don't think Renae's actually heard it before, but it describes this situation perfectly. Quietly, so I don't strain my voice, I sing it to my baby sister. I also have to note that it sounds different slightly in Japanese.

_"I remember tears streaming down your face when I said "I'll never let you go"_

_When all those shadows almost killed your light..._

_I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone"..._

_But all that's dead and gone and past tonight..._

_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down_

_You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound..._

_Don't you dare look out your window, darling, everything's on fire..._

_The war outside our door keep raging on..._

_Hold on to this lullaby..._

_Even when the music's gone...Gone..." _Here, my voice cracks a little. I know Renae doesn't understand it, but will she? Will she be brave and hold on to the good things in life even when I'm gone? Suddenly, I get a pang for Lauren. Her older sister died in a car wreck. She must've been so devistated...But...she's so strong...She found the strength to keep going, even when her loved one had to pass on...She held on to the lullaby, even when the music left...She's amazing...

"_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down_

_You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound..._

_Just close your eyes..._

_You'll be alright..._

_Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound..." _I finish singing and just hold Renae, shaking and crying along with her. I don't want to die. I don't. But I want to help the world. I want everyone to live. I just want everything back to the way it was, before any of this ever happened.

But...beauty always comes from pain. **(Superchick. Beauty from pain. Derpdederr. I don't own. ^_^)** If Germany didn't decide to take me, I wouldn't have formally met Josh, or met Zack, Lauren, Jia Li, Dimah, and everyone. I'd still be at home, trying to forget about the bullies. Regardless of all the hurt, worry, and stress I've felt here, it's been fun. I've had the time of my life here.

In all the books I've read, there's been a Chosen One. Harry Potter, Katniss Everdeen, Percy Jackson...**(I don't own them)**...they've been thrown into life-threatening situations that they never wanted. I've always wondered what it'd be like, to be singled out as important, the one to save the day. But I never truly wanted it to happen. I don't want to be the hero. I just want to be Issa, girl no one. **(Like 'Robin, the boy wonder'...if you get my lame attempt at humor. ^_^)**

...Am I really going to die...?

Is that the reason that I can't stay awake for very long?

Oh, great. I just jinxed myself. I squeeze my arms tighter around Renae as I feel my consciousness slip out of reach like grains of sand.

Josh's POV

I walk into the hospital room right as Issa's eyes flutter open. I am about to direct her attention to myself when she stutters her sister's name. Silently, I slip into a chair as Renae buries her face in Issa's shirt. "Why?" she sobs. Issa murmurs something back. "What am I going to do if you die!" Renae howls, her voice rising hysterically in pitch. "You can't leave me! You can't!" I can see a muscle work in Issa's face; she also seems to be fighting back tears. Issa answers sadly, stroking her sister's long hair. A few seconds pass, and Issa starts to sing. At first, I don't recognize the song, but then I realize that it's originally sung in English. But the tune is the same, and I'm sure the meaning of the words are, too. The song is called 'Safe and sound," and it's by Taylor Swift. It really is a beautiful song.

At the part when it says, "Hold on to this lullaby, even when the music's gone," Issa's voice breaks, and a tear slips down her face. The meaning of this song must mean a whole lot to her. She gives a glance in Lauren's direction; she is sitting to the right, caught up in the sisterly cuteness of the moment, but I see her eyes. Pain flickers somewhere deep in her coffee-brown eyes.

Soon, Issa finishes the song and just cries, both her arms wrapped around her sister, who sobs just the same. At this moment, I see how truly sorry Issa is for her actions. I see that Issa only wants to be free of her burden. She doesn't want to be the one who triggers the bomb. She wants to be as normal as she was back home, before any of this ever happened.

While Renae's breathing is ragged and broken, Issa's is deep and even; she's asleep. I take the plastic chair I'm sitting on and move it next to Lauren. Only when she turns her head away from me, I notice that she's been crying; maybe the lyrics had some effect of her, as well. I pretend not to notice. "Hi," I say. She nods in greeting. "Did you get Spain here?" I ask. "Yes," she simply states. "So, your plan worked?" I ask. "Yes," she says again. I sigh. It's obvious that she doesn't want to talk right now. "D'you want to know why I hate him so much?" I offer, trying to get her mind off of whatever's bugging her. "...Sure," she says as she wipes her nose on her sleeve.

"He let that pscho come and take me away while releasing Dimah and Harvey. I mean, I see why Germany wanted me and not them- I mean something to Issa. Or, I think I do. But, seriously, Spain didn't even try to stop him," I rant. Lauren nods. "That sucks," she sums up. "Yeah," I agree.

An awkward silence passes. I decide to leave, even though I don't want to. "Well," I say while standing up, "I'm going to go yell at Spain and watch him try to decypher my English," I say. Lauren gives a slight laugh. "Have fun," she says. Before I leave, I lean down and kiss a sleeping Issa on the forehead. When I glance back, I laugh because I think her sleeping mind made her believe that a bug landed there, as she swats her forehead and the air above it.

Germany's POV

In the hallway, I pinch the bridge of my nose in frustration. I really hate it when they smirk. I turn and look through the one-way mirror at my prisoner. Russia. His hands are cuffed to the table, and his ankles to the chair. Already, I have left scars of his back and arms, yet he still sits there grinning his stupid grin.

_**No matter. All shall be broken, sooner or later. **_

Still, it is a bit unnerving; Russia is staring right at me, almost as if he can see my exact position.

_**That does not matter. Continue interrogation.**_

I stalk back into the room, my whip in hand. "Alright, Russia. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice," I snarl at him. Russia smirks and makes a tutting sound with his teeth. "Does somebody need a hug?" I lash out, hitting his face with the back of my hand. Yet he doesn't seem angry! Why can't I break him!

"Fine," I growl. "Hard way it is." On the floor, next to the table, is a bucket filled with water. I slam it down in front of Russia and shove his head in, holding it down. And he doesn't struggle! After I count out the seconds it takes for a human to drown, I grab a handful of his now soaking silver hair and pull it out of the water. Immediately, he coughs and sputters. "Feel like talking?"

"Hm...Nyet," he cheerfully responds. So I repeat the process, holding his head down longer each time. And each time, he tells me very happily that he's not going to tell me who triggers the bomb. Fed up with his ***beep!*** happiness, I finally take drastic measures. I plug in an extension cord to the wall while Russia regurgitates water out of his lungs. Then, I pour salt in the water. Finally, I drop the other end of the cord in the water, and immediately the water is alive with electricity. "This is your last chance, Russia. Who triggers the bomb?"

"What bomb?" Russia smiles his childish smile at me, and I lose it. I grab his hair, making sure to rip out a few in the process, and shove his face ungracefully in the electrified water. Satasfaction fills me as I listen to a very brief and muffled pain-filled scream. It ends too quickly for my liking, and he starts twitching violently, making my grasp on his slick hair loosen, so I let him up. "Who. Triggers. The bomb."

Russia can't answer, seeing as he is jerking too hard to let a noise out of his mouth, and I watch him, boredom settling. Finally, Russia tilts his gaze up to meet mine. "I do, da~?" he chirps. So, I repeat the process with the electrified water until Russia's head flops lifelessly with my hand. I snarl in irratation and dump the rest of the water on him, but he stays unconscious.

_**Do not be discouraged. We shall get an anwer out of him sooner or later.**_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**I'M SORRY, RUSSIA-CHAN~~~~~! DX I HAD TO! **

**T.T Gomenesai~~plz don't kill me! I love Russia, too! **

**So, Russia-torturing aside, here's s'more questions!**

**ONE! Would you react the same way as Issa if you met Romano? :3 **

**TWO! Have you ever heard 'Safe and Sound'? If so, do you like it?**

**RANDOM QUESTION! What's the biggest mess you've ever made? o3o**

**FOUR! Were you expecting a part with Germania and Rome? (I kinda was. XD)**

**FIVE! Do you think Issa's dying?**

**okay~ So, slightly filler chapter. But not really. You get to see what happens to Russia, and you get the reunion with Renae and Issa, so, yeah. Almost a filler, but not quite. That's why I put the questions. :3 **

**My legs are still all paint-y. I need to take a shower. **

**Oh, and the biggest mess I ever made would probably have to be the time when I helped my neighbors paint their shed. They were using orange-pink paint, for some reason, and me and the two neighbor boys got tired of using the paintbrushes and started finger-painting. **

**Yes, nine-year-old me tried to paint a shed with her fingers. XD So, I ruined my white shoes and was peeling orange paint off of my skin for weeks afterwards. But I had a lot of fun. I remember putting handprints on trees in the forest behind their house and pretending to be the Pink Panther. (I don't own that. :3) And I remember that nine-year-old me wasn't afraid of spiders, so I painted a daddy-long-legs spider. Somewhere in New England there is a dead daddy-long-legs covered in pinky-orange paint. :3 But now, I'm terrified of spiders. *shudders* SPIDERS ARE DEVIL SPAWN. NOT REALLY, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. SPIDERS ARE EVILLLLLLLL. D: **

**XD Enough with mah nonsense. Go review. **

**Need help finding the review box?**

**It's**

**Right**

**Down**

**Here~!**

**VVVVV**


	7. Yami's threat

**RAWRRRRRRR! **

**Hi. :3**

**Thank you to TheKazemaruSiblings, fireflame1801, CelticGirl7, Kitana Lunara, Art and Soul, Tabby-tan, and Hetalia-EnglandthePirate. :3 I love you guies! XD **

**So...**

**Yeah...**

***sigh***

**My mom is making me go to a church party thing. -_- **

**I DON'T WANNA SOCIALIZE! DX I JUST WANNA CURL UP IN MY BED AND WRITE FOREVERRRRRRR! NYEEEEH!**

**Mmkay, shutting up now. **

**Not quite. WHO ELSE SAW AVENGERS? I JUST DID, AND IT IS SO PRUSSSSIIIANNNNNNNN! I won't spoil it for all those who haven't, but, just so you know, this movie is a big bottle of awesomesauce. :3 True story. **

**NOW I'm shutting up. o3o**

England's POV

I walk into the infirmary. Issa and Zack are both asleep, but Renae, Issa's sister, sits awake on a chair, reading a book. Her head jerks up when she hears the door open,

but she relaxes when she sees that it's me. I give a friendly smile, and she returns it. Lauren's insomnia seems to have finally left her, as she is laying on the floor, asleep. I internally debate on whether or not I should wake her, but I decide to leave her be; she would be rather cross and try to stay in here should I suggest she go to her room to sleep.

Issa is sleeping peacefully, laying on her back with her right hand crossed over her stomach and her left hend palm up in order to not disturb the IV needle. The lumps under the blanket suggest that her legs are curled up beneath her. A pang of worry crosses me. It's been two days. Issa should have already gained the ability to stay awake. And she's so pale; you would think a little color would've come back to her face by now, but she's still as white as a sheet. I walk over there, stepping over a sleeping Lauren, and press the back of my hand to Issa's forehead. It shocks me to know that, despite the lack of color in her skin, Issa has a fever.

_Odd..._I think. _If she has a fever, then she shouldn't be this pale..._

The door opens. "What do you want, China? I'm very busy," I ask the Asian nation. "I just wanted to see how Issa is doing, aru. I haven't seen her since I saw Prussia carrying her here, aru," he says, the verbal tic as annoying as always.

**(Just a side note, I actually don't think it's annoying, aru. To me, it is very kawaii, aru. :3) **

China crosses the room before I can stop him and pokes Issa on the forehead. "Aiyah! She's burning up, aru!" he exclaims. China then begins to go into a rant in half Japanese and half Chinese about medicinal herbs that could cure her. I put up my hand for silence. "No. I'm not letting you give her that. Who knows what you might accidentally do to her," I protest firmly. "What? Why, aru?" he whines, "I've been healing myself with those very same herbs for centuries, aru, and I'm as healthy as an ox! Japan, too! And Taiwan, and Korea, and Vietnam, and Thailand, and Hong Kong, aru, when they were young! They're all healthier than you Western nations anyday, aru!" I pinch the bridge of my nose. "China, I'm not in the mood for this. Issa is my patient, and I shall use whichever remidies that I so choose."

Our quarrel is inturrupted by a pillow soaring across the room and hitting me on the head. I snap my gaze over in that direction to see that Issa is no longer sleeping peacefully. She is thrashing around in the bed, or, she was. She bolts upright, panting as if she had just run a marathon, clutching the blanket like it is a lifeline. Issa's body is shaking as she breathes tearless sobs.

China and I stare at her, and she us. Finally, Issa gasps, "Hi." She gives a weak smile and waves a bit with her left hand before clutching it with her right. Before either of us can say a word, she collapses, unconscious once again. Renae, who was watching bemusedly the entire time, reaches out and grasps Issa's still trembling hand. "See?" China says in triumph, "She is having nightmares, aru. I can make medicine that will stop that, aru."

"Don't be so sure, China. You'll never know if you mix the wrong thing, and then Issa will pay the price for your mistake. I'll take care of her, don't you worry. Now, if you'll excuse me..." I say, gesturing impatiently at the door. China glares at me, but he leaves, muttering nonsense in Chinese under his breath.

I find a pill for reducing fevers and a small cup that I fill with water. I walk over to Issa's bed and gently shake her awake. "Here," I say softly as her blue eyes blearily focus on my outstretched hand. "Whassat?" she asks. I twitch a little at her gramatical error, but I answer, "Fever medicine. You're sick." Issa nods. "Oh. 'Kay." She takes the pill and downs the water, and she falls asleep again.

I sit in a plastic chair in the corner and let my train of thought wander. It's not good that she's sick. That means her immune system is rejecting the new blood, fighting it off like it's a virus. I thought that O-negative would solve the problem, but, apparantly, it's not. Issa's blood is not normal, that's for sure. What she needs is blood that her body is familiar with until it makes more. I glance at Renae. No, such a fragile girl needs all the blood she can get. I couldn't possibly take Renae's blood and give it to Issa. But...their mother, maybe...If we can find her...

But...until we do find her...

...It is very likely that Issa will die.

Issa's POV  **Few minutes ago~~**

"What do you want with me?" I ask. I am tied to a chair, dangling over a pit of alligators.

How original.

"I want to hear your ssssscreamssssss of agony, sssssee your body impaled by my sssssword, watch assss I kill you in a very sssssslow and painful way," a voice hisses. I scoff. "Very nice. I've always wanted that to happen to me. You just made my dreams come true," I say sarcasticlly.

What?...Don't look at me like that, I'm tired of this. This is the third time I've seen this, and I already know that it doesn't happen. This dream never seems to end, going on and on as I wait here in this floating chair over a pit of deadly reptiles while a voice snarls idle threats at me. Over and over. The same words. Frankly, it's annoying.

"Okay, I'm done here, please just kill me already so I can move on to the next nightmare!" I call, struggling against the bonds. At once, the ropes disappear, and I fall. The whole time, I am yelling in exasperation. "!" Soon, it is clear to me that I am not going to land in the alligator pit. I'm just going to fall, and fall, and fall. "Brilliant!" I call to no one. "Just fan-freaking-tastic!"

Then I hit the ground.

With a burst of energy, I throw something across the room and twist, trying to make sense of my dream. Dream! That's right, it was just a stupid nightmare. But I still sit straight up, panting. I clutch the covers of my hospital bed, trembling. I look up, and see China and England staring at me. Confused, I stare back. There's a tension in the air, like they were just fighting. "Hi," I say, smiling and waving weakly. _Stupid_, I think. I fall backwards and am asleep before my head hits the bed.

I feel someone shaking me. Sleepily, I open my eyes and am startled when I see a hand right by my face. "Here," a voice says, moving the cup and pill closer. "Whassat?" I ask. When the hand twitches, I realize that it's England. "Fever medicine," he says, "You're sick." Am I? "Oh. 'Kay," I reply. I swallow the pill with help from the water and fall asleep again.

"How nice of you to join," a voice says. This voice lacks the reptilian hiss that the other one had. It also sounds a lot like my voice. "Oh, no," I say, "Not you." Yami appears from the black. Today, she is in a black tank top with black skinny jeans. Her shoes are the same as last time: black high-heels. She also wears an anklet with a silver skull on it. Yami's hair is shoulder-length, like mine was before Germany cut it, and she has it in a high ponytail. Her side bangs cover the left side of her face. I didn't notice it last time, but she has a scar on the right side of her face, just like mine. I glare into her eyes, and then shrink back; they're pure black. No white at all. It's like her pupils expanded.

"You're nothing," she hisses. "Right now your puny little body is working feverishly to keep you alive. I don't even know why you even try to live anymore." Yami begins to circle me. I stare at a very interesting dot by my bare feet. "Zack's dying. You're dying. Believe it or not, that pathetic little sister of yours is dying too. You're in pain, Bella, admit it. You _want_ to die. You _want_ to be free. Y'know, if you die, I go away. I become free."

"..No.." I whisper, my voice hardly audible. "Wha-?" "I said no. You won't be free."

Even though this little speck of dust is so interesting I can't take my eyes off of it, I can feel Yami's pitch black gaze. "You're lying." I shake my head. "Am not. Ask Teacup." I can hear the confused expression in Yami's voice. "Who's that?"

"Teacup," I say slowly and clearly as if I am explaining this to a three-year-old, "Lauren's invisible cat. He told her to kill herself, and she did. But Teacup can't live without Lauren, literally, so he brought her back. You don't have nine lives. I die, you die. Simple as that."

"That may be true, Bella," she growls, "but as long as you live, I live. I can still be here to torture you. And believe me when I tell you this." Her voice is getting deeper and louder with every word. She forces me to stop looking at my very entertaining speck and look into her soul-piercing chasms of eyes; her hands are like ice, "I will be here every night for the rest of your miserable life to remind you just how worthless you are! You can NEVER hide from ME! I _AM_ YOU! YOU THINK YOU HAVE SEEN MY FURY? _JUST YOU WAIT, BELLA! YOU WILL BE __**BEGGING**__ ME TO __**DIE!"**_Yami laughs manaically, still holding my chin with an iron grasp. She cackles, getting louder and louder. I push her away from me and run away from the darkness of her eyes that seem to swallow me, but I'm not quick enough. I trip and fall, screaming as the blackness overtakes me. But nothing can keep her sadistic laughter from ringing in my ears.

"_NO!"_ I scream. My throat feels like it's going to rip out. Hands restrain me, and I'm so weak that my struggling is pathetic. "NO! NO, NO, NO!" I shriek. I ignore the tears streaming down my face and fight with all my power. I kick and punch and bite, but nothing is working. "Issa! Issa-no, stop, bloody calm down! No one's going to hurt you!" a voice cries in my ear. "Don't let her go," it adds, quieter. I am aware of myself in someone's lap. This person is very strong, and I can tell that they're not even using their full strength. I land a punch in this person's face, and the grunt of pain makes me freeze: I just socked America in the nose.

"A-America?" I whimper. "Yeah," he mutters thickly while sopping up blood from his nose. "I'm sorry," I whisper, scooting off his lap and back on to the hospital bed. Without a word, I crawl under the blankets and hide, Yami's voice still echoing in my ears. I put my hands over my ears and tremble, trying to muffle my sobs. The blanket is lifted up to reveal Lauren's face. "What happened this time?" she asks, her voice soft and comforting. I shake my head, unwilling to ever speak of the other me. I won't say her name. I won't talk about what she promised to do to me. If I do, she's going to make my punishment worse.

"Come out," Lauren says. I shake my head. "Why not?" I shake my head again. After a second, however, I do crawl out from under the covers because the darkness reminds me of her eyes. She's still laughing. It's a terrible sound: harsh and grating on my eardrums. "Are you going to talk at all?" Lauren asks over the terrifying sound. I shake my head again in denial.

I stare at my hands, but quickly look away. The freckle on my wrist reminds me of the dot I was staring at before she grabbed my chin with her ice cold fingers. Instead, I run my finger over the vertical cut on my left arm. _Up... _"Say something..." _Down..._ "...Please?..." I continue stroking my arm, feeling the jolt of pain that comes whenever touch it. It's just barely starting to scab over. I dig my fingernail under the hard piece of skin that stretches over only a portion of my cut and pull it up; my cut starts to bleed again.

"Don't do that!" Lauren says firmly, grabbing my hand and pulling it away from my arm. "What did you dream? Issa, please, tell me!" I shake my head, horrified. I can't. I can't tell her. I can't even make my voice work. I'm locked in my own head. And the warden is the other me.

"_Believe it or not, that pathetic little sister of yours is dying too..."_ her voice echoes. I lunge against the imaginary bars in my head and break free from at least the silent part. "Renae!" I shriek. I can almost feel my eyes bugging out in my head. "Where is she?" I demand Lauren. I jerk my gaze to America. "_WHERE IS SHE?"_

"Wha-? Issa, it's alright, it's okay, Renae's fine! She's going to be fine, just calm down! It's about three in the morning, she's asleep!" Lauren says, holding both of my hands in order to keep me from jumping out of this darn bed and finding her myself. With a gasp, I remember what else she said. Zack's dying, too. I snap my gaze over to Zack. His eyes are open, looking at me with concern. "Zack!" I cry. I pull my right hand out of Lauren's and reach it out to him. "Zack, you can't die! Don't you _dare _die!" I exclaim. He nods and reaches out his left hand. Our fingertips touch.

"I got the sedative, aru," I hear China say. "What the bloody-no, I told you you're not giving her anything that you make!" England exclaims. But before he can take the cup of herbal medicine away from the Asian nation, China zips around him and puts the cup against my lips. Startled, I try to push it away, but China tilts it back, sending the medicine down my throat. I cough when he pulls away. It tasted like green tea.

My blood pounds in my ears. I am vaugely aware of England yelling at China. It is utter pandamonium, but I ignore everything. I keep my right hand out, touching Zack's. "You can't die..." I repeat quietly. "Promise me..."

"I won't..." I hear his voice say. Even though it's as quiet as mine, I hear it better than all of the screaming, shouting, and arguing going on in the room, "I promise..."

Germania's POV

"Should've been there an hour ago...!" Rome whines. "Shut up and keep walking," I snap back. "That's what you said last time!" he says. The woman chuckles after translating our little argument to herself. Suddenly, it occurs to me that we don't know her name. "What's your name?" I ask, stopping abruptly to look at her. "I am Michelle Pryce," she says after looking in her little book. "Well, Mrs. Pryce, I am Herman, and this is Florence," I introduce. "I am sorry for not introducing us sooner." It is rather comical to watch as Mrs. Pryce flips rapidly through her book to find the translations. When she knows what I said, she smiles and says, "It's alright. Do you know where we are going?" I think for a minute. We should be going to Germany's house, but, why not stop at Austria's for the night? We are in his capitol, after all. I nod. I do know where we are supposed to go. I'm just not sure how to get there.

Finally, after about a half-hour more of Rome's complaining, our little group stops to rest. I sit moodily on a bench and try not to listen to the conversation behind me. But my ears betray me when I realize that it's in Japanese and not German.

"...but are you sure that it will work?"

"I'm positive, Rin. We go kick Potato-Head's butt, we help Issa."

"But how will we pull it off? He's a nation; we're three humans..."

"You've got your sword. Alex has his gun. I've got my years of fighting."

"Yeah, Rin! We'll be alright. You're freaking beast with that katana."

"..."

"Come on, Rin-Rin, have a little pride in your skills!"

"I do. I know what I am capable of. But to take down a nation..."

"Speaking of nations, did you guys notice that the two unknown are really, really, really close?"

"Of course, Syd. It's annoying."

I feel myself turn ridgid. These three...they can...sense us...And they're planning on taking down Germany...immediately, I wrestle with a descion. Confront them?

"Hey, what's up~?" I slap my hand to my face when I recognize Rome. He's flirting with the two girls that can sense him. Why do I always have to bail him out of these situations?

I can almost feel the weird looks that the girls are giving him, and when I hear the click of the person named Alex's gun, I know I have to step in. I stand and walk to Rome's side. There are three teenage humans sitting on a bench. A girl with jet-black hair and brown eyes, a boy with red hair and angry-looking amber eyes, and a girl with blonde hair and shockingly clear blue eyes. I have to tear my eyes away from the third because of how much she looks like my grandson. The first two are armed, but the blonde has her fists raised, ready to fight off any ten-year-old-looking lover. The red-head has a gun pointed at Rome, and the girl with black hair has a katana sword half-unsheathed.

"I am sorry for my friends actions. It will not happen again," I say. The three exchange glances, and the weapons are now trailed on my movements. "You look like Germany," the red-head says. "but you don't feel like him. Who are you, and who's the child pedophile?" Rome immediately protests, "I'm not a child pedophile!" The red-head snaps, "Do yourself a favor and shut up."

_They already know about nations,_ I debate with myself, _Just explain yourself to them and maybe they'll understand._ "I am Germania, and this is the Roman Empire. We are here to stop Germany from taking over the world."

They stare at me. Then they exchange looks again. It is quite remarkable to see; they seem to know each other so well that they can know their thoughts through a single glance. The silent argument seems to go like this.

_"You think he's telling the truth?"_

_"Well, he feels like a nation. And we've never felt them before. Maybe."_

_"I think so. These two empires are known for battling with swords. Just like what we feel."_

_"Alright. Put your weapons down."_

"Do you know where we can find him?" I ask. the red-head shakes his head. "No. We were guessing Berlin, though." Mentally I curse. That's too far from Vienna! "How will you get there?" I ask. They shrug. "Buses, trains, walking, the usual," the blonde says. "I'm Sydney," she adds. "Alex," the red-head grunts. "...Rin..." the black haired girl says quietly.

"Also...that woman over there are looking for her daughters," I say, pointing out Mrs. Pryce. "Do you know where they are?" I ask. "Depends," Alex grunts, calmly checking the number of bullets in his gun. "What do they look like?" In answer, I walk over to where she is slumped down on a bench, a cup of coffee in her hands; she must've bought it from the vendors a while ago. "May I see your daughters again?" I ask. When she fishes out the painting, I take it from her hands and walk over to the three. I hold it out to them, and their eyes widen. "That's Issa," Sydney says. "You know them?" I ask excitedly. They nod. "Her sister's there, too," Alex says. Relief flows through me; Germany's victim is safe. I run back to Mrs. Pryce. "I know where they are!" I exclaim. I don't wait for her to flip through her book, I just take her hand and drag her behind me.

"Can you take us to them?" I ask breathlessly. Again, they exchange glances. "Sure," Sydney says. They lead us to a white mansion a few minutes down the road; I had no idea we were so close! "Miracle we found it this easy," I hear Alex mutter. Before we enter, Sydney stops us. "There's something you should know," she says, looking mostly at Mrs. Pryce. "Issa's kind of...well...There's no easy way to say this...We think she's dying."

**DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNN! :3 heh heh heh. I am so evil. **

**Every**

**Villain**

**Is**

**Lemons **

**'Nuff said. XD (I don't own Spongebob Squarepants.)**

**...I tried to think of questions, but I got nothing... So there. **

**(::::) But you want a cookie, da? I give you cookie for review~~! \(o3o)/(:::) **

**OOH! Art and Soul made a question thingamabobber for this! You have any questions for the cast, just review that question in the question thingamabobber! You can even ask Teacup and Yami questions, if you wanna. :3 **

**Well, that was certainly fun to write! o3o It cured my boredom for most of the day! (From about ten thirty to three in the afternoon.) Wow. It really didn't take that much time, did it? Hm...Odd...most of the chapters take two or three days to write...o3o; **

**Oh well. :3 **

**Review~~~~~~ Please~~~~~~~! :D**


	8. Is she safe?

**:B **

**Hi there. **

**(:::) COOKIES! OWO *insert cookies for TheRoxelShow, Art and Soul, fireflame1801, anonomas russia fan, InsanityAintOptional, MysticDayze, and CelticGirl7* **

**I love cookies. I like cookie dough more. :3 XD **

**o3o**

**...**

**...**

**...o3o**

**Hi. :3 **

**I really don't have anything else to say...so...un. **

**...**

**AWKWARD...**

**XD**

Germania's POV

"There's something you need to know..." Sydney says, looking mostly at Mrs. Pryce while biting her lip anxiously, "Issa's kind of...well...There's really no easy way to say this...We think she's dying."

I am not sure what to make of this. Perhaps the girl expects me to openly grieve the sickness of a young human whom I have never met. Even Rome looks apprehensive, uncertain. Worried, we are, yes, but still.

Mrs. Pryce looks confused, glancing at the book in her hands, most likely wondering why the language switched to Japanese. Obviously, she heard her eldest's name mentioned, but she does not know what to make of our solemn expressions.

The boy named Alex knocks on the door. A pair of feet on the other side screech to a stop, and I presume they are looking at us through the little glass hole on the door. But it opens, and we are facing a girl around fourteen years of age wearing a strapless gray dress, her brown hair tied up in, a bronze locket with a crimson gem around her throat. She, too, looks a bit nervous and slightly embarrassed.

The girl gives a nod of greeting to the three humans and turns to Mrs. Pryce. "Who are you?" she asks in German. Mrs. Pryce immediately flips through the book rapidly after making the 'one second' gesture at the girl. She turns her gaze back to the three and raises an eyebrow at them. "This is Rome and Germania," Sydney says in an undertone. Upon hearing his own name, Rome jerks out of his trance that started when he laid eyes on the girl, and he waves. I can almost see his pupils turn to hearts. I shake my head in exasperation and add, "And this is the mother of the two people living here."

"Zack and Josie?" she guesses. I do not know who these people are, but Rome shakes his head. At least he picked up on the fact that we are looking for people whom we believe to be named 'Issa and Renae'. The girl in the gray dress's eyes widens, and a man with messy blond hair appears behind her. "That leaves..." she mutters. Her gaze snaps to Mrs. Pryce and she asks something in English. Mrs. Pryce sighs in relief and exclaims something in the same language, then she frowns slightly and asks something else. The girl looks sad and a bit guilty; perhaps she does not like being the bearer of ill-fated news. She stutters a few words in English, sighs, and beckons us in.

_So this is Austria's house...magnificent__,_ I think as I allow myself to be entranced by the amazing decor. Rome's eyes widen, as well, but then he sees someone sitting on the couch making white flags. "Ita-chan~!" he squeals. It takes a bit of convincing, but finally Italy seems to recognize his grandfather, as he hugs Rome tightly, jumping up and down. I ignore them and turn my attention to Mrs. Pryce. Her eyes are wide and terrified, no matter how much the girl in the gray dress tries to calm her down. "_Please, Ma'am, we're doing everything we can..." _she says. "_Where is she?" _Mrs. Pryce asks, seeming more like an angry mother bear each second. Surprisingly, she tries to contain her obvious hysteria. "_Please, I need to see her, where is she?"_

"_Miss, she's asleep now, she needs rest. Please, calm down," _ the blond man says. Before they can argue any further, a weak, strangled cry comes from a door not too far away, and in Japanese. "Mom...!" Looking around, I see that no one but me has heard the girl. The girl calls for her mother again, but to no avail. I walk over curiously to the door that conceals her, and I am about to walk in, but the door is pushed open by a young human girl who is not too much older than the girl in the dress; she is wearing a hospital gown over what normal humans wear nowadays, and her feet are bare. Upon seeing me, she steps back a step, surprised, but she pushes past me. Her shove is weak and feeble. She runs over to Mrs. Pryce and hugs her tightly. The man and the girl in the gray dress are shocked at first to see her, then a bit mad. "Issa, you need to go back in!" they protest.

The girl, Issa, pays them no attention. I am confused to why they want the girl back in the room when I see the deep gash on the inside of her left arm. She was attacked, maybe...? But whatever happened to her, it left her in a bad condition; standing, in her case, is not good for her health. I can tell it hurts her, as well. Issa clenches her eyes shut, as if the room is spinning around her, but she keeps her arms wrapped around her mother. Soon, the man and the girl in the dress convince Issa to go back in the room. I follow them. Issa sits on the bed guiltily while a different blond man, who is slightly transparent, inserts a needle into her arm. "I'm gonna duct tape this to your arm..." he threatens half-heartedly. In answer, Issa wraps her other arm around his neck and laughs through a sob. Her left hand is still wrapped in her mother's, who is also slightly tearful.

"Sweet, the bond between family," a voice says from next to me. I jump and am facing Austria. "The mother came all the way here from America to find her children. Would, perhaps, a grandfather do the same for a grandson?" I suddenly am aware that Austria is not in a good mood. If fact...he seems to be accusing me. "Are you suggesting I am here to spy for Germany?" I demand.

I must look so pitying; a ten-year-old confronting a grown man.

"Why, yes," he says snootily, "yes I am." We glare daggers at each other before I heatedly continue. "I would not, in my entire existence, make the same mistake Germany has, and is still making. You think I would do that, just to expand my empire? This is a war over children! _Children!_ Our future! Why, in a million centuries, would I wreak havoc in the world's future?"

"Why would Germany?" he asks. "Germany is not the kind to kidnap children and use their blood to make bombs. Something has taken over him. Maybe some_one_."

"How would I have the power to go in Germany's brain and force him to commit a terrible crime?" I ask, my voice rising. "And even if I had such a power, I would surely kill myself as to not be even tempted to do such a thing! I am here to _stop_ this war before it gets out of hand, not add fuel to the flames!" A few other people peer curiously at us, and I do not care whether they are nations or humans. Austria slams his fist against the wall in anger. "Are you suggesting that we are incompetent? That we are such morons that we cannot win against two nations?"

"Austria, you will show your grandfather respect, or so help me I will-" "You'll what? You can't do anything to me, Germania, I am my own country! I can fend for myself, and I don't need the help of a dead nation!" he shouts, loud enough to make more people stare at us.

Dead nation.

His words wound me..

"I am here," I say after a few seconds, "on orders. My boss sent Rome and myself to help the situation. I am not here willingly. If it were up to me, I would not have even set foot on this mess of a planet. I apologize if you are not in need of assistance, but, I guess...what do humans use nowadays?...Ah, yes. I guess it 'sucks for you,'" I say, crossing my arms over my chest and glaring my blue eyes into his purple ones. After a few seconds of a glare-down, he says quietly, "Suicide is not the answer. Killing yourself to stop others from abusing a deadly gift is noble, but not right. Not if you have something worth living for. Issa is proof." And with that, he retreats. A few minutes later, faint piano music is heard from down the hall.

His words strike me. Issa...tried to kill herself. It wasn't an attack. And the deadly gift...it's her. She's the one who at least starts the bomb. I think back to my day. Yes, there was this one fellow who had this gift. One day, he was sword fighting with a nation. I forgot the name, but those two were inseparable since the human's birth. So, he was sword fighting, and he accidentally made a cut on the nation's arm, and he already had a cut on his wrist from the nation's blade. The two stopped, and the human tried to help the nation by putting his hand over the cut. Blood from his wrist trickled on the nation, and then there was nothing. By standers said there was an explosion. The news swept through the empires and nations like wildfire, and, for a while, we were all looking for a person who can make explosions like that. But, after about a century, we decided that no one else was like that.

But, I remember World War Two. I was worried. I didn't go into the box, no, I listened to a radio. America bombed Hiroshima, and said that it was a nuclear explosion. But I knew better. It only took about five, maybe six drops of their blood to mix for the human and the country to die, so America must've counted out just enough drops to cause pain, but not death for Japan. Yes, that was the moment that I realized there are more. Maybe. It's too hard to tell when the next one after Issa will show up, but there will be more. At least they found Issa before it was too late. My thoughts are broken by a loud and obnoxious yell of, "OI! GRAMPS!"

Before I can turn away, I am tackled. "Ow! Prussia!" I yelp. Well, as much as I can. My mouth is pressed against the fine carpet, and Prussia is perched happily on my back. My words sound something like, "Mrrrf! Prrrff!"

"What was that, Gramps?" I hear Prussia ask cheerfully. "Skooshhhn myehh," I mutter. "Gyeh oof..." To make my point, I wriggle a little. "Oh, hey, I'm sorry!" Prussia says, rolling off me. "What was that?" I sit up and brush myself off. "Squishing me. Get off." But I can't make myself mad at Prussia, in all of his boyishness. He's the same since I left. But not quite. "My boy," I gasp, "you've grown!"

"Kesesesese, yeah! Such awesomeness can't stay chibi-sized forever. And speaking of chibi's..." he stops and eyes my small stature and young face, "What happened to you?" I glance down at myself. I am wearing the clothes we bought at the mall. "My boss. His magic couldn't make us adult-sized." Prussia looks me over again and burst into his odd, throaty laughter. "Kesesesese! You hair is short! It's been long ever since the awesome me can remember!" I run my hand through it and frown. "Yes, I'm not entirely sure how it got this length..."

"Kesesese, that's what she said."

"That's what who said?"

Prussia only laughs harder at my confusion.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Issa's POV

I guess China's magical herb sedative wards off nightmares as well as keeping me calm. After I blacked out, my mind, I guess, decided that I'd had enough hysteria for one day and played me the music on my playlist. It was nice; my favorite songs, and I also dreamed of times when I was listening to it. A car trip. We were visiting family, and it was a long trip; too far for my liking by car, but too close to fly. But I remember sitting in the shotgun seat, my headphones in, watching the world fly by. It's just little things like that when I truly am content. First on my playlist is Japanese songs: 'Just be friends', 'Kokoro', 'Tsumugi uta', and 'Meltdown'. Next are my inspirational songs: 'The last night', 'Hero', 'Those who wait', 'Never Surrender', etc. Then it's just random songs that I like: 'Check yes, Juliet', 'Stay', 'If you can't live without me, why aren't you dead yet?' Yep. My playlist ranges from Vocaloid to Mayday Parade. **(I don't own any of these songs or bands.)**

Anyway, my dream self looks over at my mom, who is driving. She is talking. But to who? She knows I am listening to music, and Renae's asleep in the back. I take an ear bud from my ear and look at her. "Where is she?" she asks, "Please, I need to see her, where is she?" She sounds distressed. What's wrong? It's only a car trip. My confusion is doubled when I hear England. _"_Miss, she's asleep now, she needs rest. Please, calm down," he says. Who are they talking about? Me? I'm right here, nothing's wrong with me...

Then I open my eyes. My mom is here. My mom is arguing with England. England, I guess, is just being over-protective of me, and he doesn't know I'm awake. But if he knows I'm awake, maybe he'll let my mom in..."Mom...!" I call as loud as my voice will allow. It's not that loud, though. "Mom!" I call again. But they don't hear me...My eyes sweep across the room. Good. No one's in here but me and Zack, who is still asleep. Bracing myself, I sit up and rip the accursed IV needle out of my arm.

I allow a small yelp of pain to escape my lips, but I stand up anyways. If England won't let my mom to see me, I'll see her myself.

I hobble on my feet and open the door, but I step back in shock. There is a little blond kid right there, looking as surprised as I feel. He looks suspiciously like Germany...I push my way past him and resume my mission. I gradually get the feeling back into my numb legs and am able to run. Without hesitation, I dash into the living room and throw my arms around my mom.

I can see that I've startled England and Lauren, who is looking stunning in a gray dress; maybe Hungary set her and Dimah up on a date, but I don't care. All that matters is that I'm back with my mother. I've missed her so much..."Issa, you need to go back in!" Lauren gasps, tugging on my elbow. I ignore her and bury my face in my mom's shirt; she smells like rosemary and sage. I probably smell like hospital, due to the sterile hospital gown I'm wearing over my clothes.

Suddenly, I get dizzy. Like, the-room-is-swooping-around-me-and-I'm-going-to-fall-and-throw-up kind of dizzy. I clench my eyes shut and tighten my arms around my mom, and I feel her do the same. Finally, I listen to England's and Lauren's pleading and go back in the hospital room. I sit cross-legged on the bed, and make my mom sit down, as well. Canada is there, and he is not happy with my little escape attempt; I can sense it, even though he doesn't say anything.

I don't regret my actions, though. I've needed to see Mom. I'm happy she's here. But now...she's in this mess... Great. Oh well. At least Germany didn't target her like he did to Renae. After a few more tense seconds with the angry Canadian, he mumbles, "I'm gonna duct tape this to your arm..." I smile and laugh, happy tears streaming down my face. I pull Canada into a hug with my right arm.

I can hear England talking in English to Mom. But my blood's pounding so hard in my ears that I can't make out a word that they're saying. But it makes more sense when England takes a vial of her blood with a syringe and then, without hesitation, jabs me with it in the arm, slowly pressing the plunger. I involuntarily yelp, not expecting this, but I stay still.

England looks relieved. "_So...she's not going to die now...?"_ I hear Mom ask apprehensively. England looks at her, and then me. "_I sure hope not..."_ Lauren sits on my other side. "There. You'd bloody well not die now," she says, poking me. I smile and nod, but I can't make my voice work; even if I could, I don't think I could make words. My tongue feels like a wad of cotton in my mouth, and I bet right now it's just as useful.

"Are you suggesting that we are incompetent? That we are such morons that we cannot win against two nations?" Austria yells from the hallway while pounding his fist on the wall. I flinch. "Well, who got his panties in a knot?" Lauren asks. I lean over to see more, and I see Austria having an argument-showdown with the little blond munchkin that I almost ran into. "Austria, you will show your grandfather respect or I'll-" the little kid says angrily. Wait, what...? Grandfather...? "You'll what?" Austria demands, flailing his arms in fury, "You can't do anything to me, Germania, I am my own country! I can fend for myself, and I don't need the help of a dead nation!"

I see the little boy take a step back, like the words were an actual blow. Oh...that's Germania...That explains a lot. After a few seconds of the two imagining each other's demise, Germania says in a menacing whisper, "I am here on orders. My boss sent Rome and myself to help the situation. I am not here willingly. If it were up to me, I would not have even set foot on this mess of a planet. I apologize if you are not in need of assistance, but, I guess...what do humans use nowadays?...Ah, yes. I guess it 'sucks for you,'"

The two send mental swords into the other's eyes for a minute before Austria hisses something that I can't make out. Then he leaves, and the chibi empire is left to think about whatever Austria just told them. He glances at me for a second. But then, with the battle cry of "OI! GRAMPS!", little Germania is glomped by Prussia. I giggle. Germania's face is squished in the carpet as Prussia sits on his back. When Prussia finally lets Germania up, they exchange cheerful greetings. Prussia snicker something about his short hair, and Germania answers with "Yes, I'm not entirely sure how it got this length..." Prussia cracks up. "Kesesese! That's what she said!" To which Germania confusedly replies, "That's what who said...?" Prussia only laughs harder. I swear, I can hear a chorus of "Onhonhonhonhonhon" and "Fusosososo" to accompany the "Kesesese!"

Lauren snorts and rolls her eyes. Somewhere, Spain and France are being beat up by Romano and England. I can hear their cries of pain. I'm sure if Germany were here, he'd either facepalm or slap the back of Prussia's head. I do wonder why he's like this...Something has definitely jacked his mind up. Hard.

Sighing, I flop back on the bed, ignoring the questioning stares from Lauren and Mom. I wonder what's going to happen now. Who's going to get hurt next? When will all this be over? Can we ever go back to our normal lives? Does dying hurt? What will it take to fix Germany? All these and more run repeatedly through my mind before I fall asleep, still draped sideways over the bed.

XXXXXXXXXX

Rin's POV

I look at everyone, greeting the two new strange nations. Or, rather, former nations. Germania and the Roman Empire have been dead for a long time. This explains the unfamiliar sense. I feel a tug on my sleeve, and I follow Sydney and Alex. I don't like this plan. I don't like it at all. But they're determined. Nothing but force could stop us now.

"Wait...!" a voice calls. Alex stops, and we turn to face Germania. "You're going to stop Germany?" he asks. "None of your business, thank you very much," Alex says, and he beckons us to keep walking. "Well, would you like assistance?" We don't bother turning, or even stopping. "No," Sydney and Alex say at the same time.

The nation stands there in the snow, staring at our retreating backs. He doesn't seem to know whether or not to intervene; I know because I looked behind, but only for a second. But, as we disappear in the foliage, he doesn't follow.

We walk through the brisk January air, stepping lightly and quickly. I recall this to be the same as when we were on the run from _him_. After our years under his rule, I still don't know his name. And even if I did, I wouldn't say it. Or think it. Too many bad memories. Mr. Collins, Mr. Twill, and Mr. Hannaford were popular names that he would use. His appearance, however, stayed the same. Brown hair, thin and stiff. He had a beard, like a stereotypical lumberjack. He would always wear these dark sunglasses, so it was hard to try to tell his eye color. But, one day, I saw they were brown, just like his hair. But they're cold and hard and cruel, unlike Lauren's warm and kind ones, and they were not eyes that you would like staring at you like you were some interesting new toy. He would wear suits, or some days, just shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. It really was not something I needed to witness.

I keep thinking until we decide it's time to rest. I climb a tree and look around, and I see nothing but forest. "Nothing," I call down. "You sure?" Sydney asks. I look around. "Yes...Wait, no!" I squint to the north. "There is some kind of clearing to the north. About a mile from here, maybe two," I say. "I am not sure what, but there is something up there."

"Awesome," Alex says, "Come on down." Without even hesitating, I jump from my perch, maybe twenty feet down. It doesn't hurt, if you know how to land. Now, me, I am always looking for a way to show that I am not worthless. I was told many times by _him_, so rebellious me goes out of her way to prove him wrong. I do a somersault in midair and land poised on my toes, the snow hardly making a sound. Practice makes perfect. Before we were kidnapped, Alex would perfect his aim and Sydney would study martial arts, but I took gymnastics. I have always wanted to be a gymnast. I know, this is a stupid goal. I have been told. But...it would be nice. Flying, all the time, in front of crowds. They would be able to tell that I am not a waste of human life. I could be something. But...my life has been ruined. I will most likely never have a normal future. My thoughts are cut short by the arrival to our clearing. I grip the handle of my sword.

"How exactly are we to break in...?" I ask. "Easy," Alex says, "You, our ninja, climb a tree and jump on the roof. You go in from the roof and, y'know, knock a few guys out and let us in. Then, we'll all go in and kick Potato's butt, and Sushi's, too, if he's there. We drag them back to the others, and boom, we're world-wide heroes, literally. He'll never be able to come near us again." Alex finishes his battle plan with a grin at Sydney and I. "Any questions?"

"Can we go back now?" I ask, quietly. "Why? We're almost there!" I bite my lip. "It's just...If something goes wrong...Potato's doesn't seem like he'll spare us if he wins...and...I don't think I could take it if either of you got hurt..." I look down, tightening my grip on my katana. "Rin..." Sydney says. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I hug her back. "We should just go back before it goes too far..." I suggest.

Alex joins our embrace. "We're helping, Rin..." he says softly, "It's obvious they don't have a plan on taking him down." Reluctantly, I nod and untangle myself from them. "Alright..." I say, "...I'm going in..."

I take one last look at my best friends and sprint along the west side of the little gray building in the clearing. It occurs to me that a nation would not stay in such a worn-down shack...but it is close to where the others are, so, maybe...There's no telling if Potato really is in there...I can sense him...but it's not very strong...Their aura goes down when they're sleeping...I know for a fact that Sushi can hide his aura. One time, we were being forced to tail him. He saw me, and I mouthed for him to run, and I nodded towards _him_. He seemed to understand, and he nodded. Before he and his aura disappeared, he smiled and winked at me. Then his aura was gone, but I could see him. So, there's no telling whether or not Sushi is here or not.

I pick a tall tree and scale it as quickly as I can until I am taller than the roof of the building. I lean back and forth in the tree to make it easier to jump. When I feel ready, I launch myself through the air and hit the ground running. The flat roof of this dirty building is thick, masking my landing. I pull my scarf over my mouth and nose, and I draw my katana. Cautiously, I push open the door and enter.

It's dark in here. I stand in the shadows until my eyes adjust to the dim light. There are a few men here, but they're goofing off. Playing games on their phones, or something. It makes it easy for me to sneak up on them. I slam the hilt of my sword into the first man's head, and he goes down, unconscious. "Frank?" the second man asks right before I do the same to him. "H-hey, what's going on?" a third man says. The remaining three gather in the center of the room, their guns drawn. Silently, I slip out of my bulky winter coat and leave it in a corner of the room. I am wearing black pants, a black long-sleeved shirt, and black tennis shoes. Black gloves and my black scarf conceal my pale hands, neck, and face. My dark I am a bit concerned about the skin around my eyes showing, but I pay that no attention as I attack the group of men.

I dodge the bullet that the third man shot at me in his panic and hit his pistol with the flat of my blade. It skitters under a desk as I knock the man unconscious. The fourth makes a grab for the hilt, but I duck and sweep my feet at his ankles, knocking him to the ground. The fifth presses his gun to my head, and I pause. "Aw, look," he croons to his cursing friend who is picking himself up, "Our little ninja's afraid of guns." Rage flows through me, and I hit his hand with the hilt of my sword and hear his finger break. A stream of words in German escape his mouth, and I don't think they're compliments to me. But no matter- I knock him out, leaving only the fourth man.

He stares at my eyes, which are most likely very scary-looking right now, and he drops his gun and sprints out of the room, howling for backup. I am about to chase him, but I decide to disappear, make him look foolish. I jump up and move a vent cover on the ceiling. Using a desk as a vault, I jump up again and pull myself in the vent, hastily moving the cover back into place.

The man runs back into the room accompanied with a few more men. "And then, he knocked Phil out and was about to do the same to me when I ran!" he says. "Look!" But he turns around to see a room with four unconscious bodies and a distinct lack of me-sized ninjas. "...Rookie..." one of the older but still deadly-looking men says while rolling his eyes. "But something did knock these _dumkoffs_ out. And I don't think it was a spider." The rest of the men stare at the man until he continues. "Last week Frank freaked out because of a spider. Stupid. Well, don't just stand there! Get these idiots out of here!"

The men lift each man that I knocked out by the feet and arms and carry them roughly out of the room. "When they wake up, let's see if they feed us the same bull crap as Haans." The man named Haans stalks over to a corner and stops. "Hey, boss, I found something!" he calls. And then he holds up my coat.

I grit my teeth and facepalm. How could I be so stupid as to leave my coat in plain sight! "Excellent! But don't call me boss," the man in charge says while looking around the collar. After a second, he triumphantly holds up something small. I bet it's a hair. I bet it's my color and length. The man inserts it in a handkerchief and stows it in his pocket. "Mr. Germany and Mr. Japan will be very pleased to catch their little ninja. Now, about how tall was he?" Haans raises and lowers his hand to about my height. "About this tall. Freaky-looking eyes, too. Like Mr. Japan's. Real dull, but his were angry. We really ticked the guy off. Capable of murder, but all he did was knock 'em out. Why?"

"Easy," the older man says, "He's not an assassin. He's here to spy. Who knows how many bugs he's planted by now. We'll have to scan everything. His little ninja pals have to be around here, too. Let's go look for them. Force the shadow into the light."

Terror washes though me. So, this is the right place. But now Sydney and Alex are in danger. I have to warn them. Once the two soldiers are gone, I hop down from the vent and run out back to the roof.

Now, after weeks of hiding with Alex and Sydney, we've devised a code. Whistling. One long one means start listening. Once short from the others means to start the message. Two mean it's safe to come out. Three mean it's dangerous, and to hide. Four mean to run away. Three short from the others mean yes, they're going to do what I told them to; four short mean the opposite. We've only had to use four once. I move my scarf and put my pinkies in my mouth, blowing once. I wait until I hear Sydney's distinctive whistle and blow four loud whistles. There is a long pause, then I hear three short birdcalls. I sigh in relief, and put my scarf over my face again.

I turn around and see a sword pointed at me.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

**DUN DUN DUNNNNNN...XD **

**ONE! Who points the sword at Rin? **

**TWO! Do you think Rin is really capable of killing?**

**RANDOM QUESTION! What's the first four songs on your playlist? o3o**

**THREE! Is Issa safe now? o3o**

**FOUR! WHAT THE MAPLE IS WRONG WITH DOITSU? *Rage face***

**Yay! I thought of questions! **

**Yeah...so...The Germania and Issa part was kinda boring to write...but then I started on Rin's part, and I was all..."MUST. WRITE. SO. MUCH. ACTION. THIS HAS TO BE EPIC. RIN HAS TO BE NINJA. OWO**

**Heh. That part was fun to write. I could've written more, but this makes it easier to do this part next time I wanna write. Gives me a place to start from. **

**Nee nee~~ It's thunderstorming~~~ LIGHTNING! THUNDER! RAIN! SO BEAUTIFULLLLLLLLL! O3O **

**Yeah. I like rain and thunder and stuff. I'm weird. :3 **


	9. What the French?

**RAWRRRRR I ISHT HIPPOPOTAMUS. :U**

**No, not really. I is human. Or so they tell me. **

**I DON'T OWN HETALIA. But I own these virtual cupcakes which I am giving to the peoples who reviewed. *Insert virtual cupcakes for Tabby-tan, MysticDayze, fireflame1801, Kitana Lunara, Celticgirl7, caset290 and Art and Soul* :3**

**I IS ON /ANOTHER/ CAR TRIP! o3o What is it with me and cars? XD No, I can't drive. Next year...next year...**

**Welp, here we go~~**

Rin's POV

I turn and see a sword pointed at me.

I immediately freeze, staring at the tip. I force my eyes higher, and see a hand on the black handle. The man's sleeve is white with gold trim. The rest of his uniform is white, mostly. He has more gold trim on his shoulders, and gold buttons. Looking higher, I see...me. Black hair, dull brown eyes...but...this is a man. "Hello," he says calmly, as if we are old friends and this is no more than an arranged meeting. Like going out for coffee, or something. Instead of answering him, I quickly unsheath my sword and clang it against his, starting the fight.

This is not much of a fight. In the first minute of the fight, he has already disarmed me. I stare in disbelief as my katana skitters over the edge of the roof, falling in the snow on the ground. "Who are you?" Sushi asks placidly, his sword pointed at me. I kick his hand and do a backflip off the roof, landing in the snow. I snatch up my katana and run; coming here was foolish. There is no way we can take on any nation. We should've decided that after Guns easily restrained Sydney.

I hear the steady running footsteps of Sushi behind me. I'm glad I sent Alex and Sydney away. I pick a tree, and, with a running start, I jump up and begin to climb. Ten feet...Twenty...Sushi begins to climb. "Wait!" he calls. _No thank you..._ I think. Centuries of climbing makes him faster than me, and he grasps my foot. I start to yell for him to let go, but I stop in the middle of the word. "Le-!"

"I'm not going to hurt you," Sushi says, "Calm down and let me speak with you." I shake my head and continue struggling. There is a snapping sound, and the branch I am on breaks, dropping me. I gasp beacuse I don't expect it. I prepare myself to land...but it doesn't come. A sharp jerk on my hand stops me in midair. I look up, surprised. Sushi is hanging on to the trunk of the tree with one hand, the other holding my wrist. "That could have hurt," he says with a smile. He doesn't know is that I know how to stop a painful landing.

I reach up and grab his hand with my other one; he relaxes a bit, thinking I would stop fighting. But I pummel his hand, twisting more than ever. Finally, he is forced to drop me. I flip and land, not wanting to see his reaction. Tearing through the forest, I hear the sound of someone hopping through the trees. A skyward glance shows a figure in white. _When will this guy give up?_ I think desperately.

I purposely go the wrong direction, more than once, trying to lead Sushi...or Japan, I guess...away from the directions I think my friends might've gone. But soon, I feel my stamina lessening. _No!_ I think. _Have to run, have to get away! _ My shoes are soggy and freezing, and so are my pants. My scarf is keeping my head warm, but also rather stuffy; it's kind of hard to breathe, not helping with my stamina problem. A poorly placed tree root hides under the layer of powder and sends me sprawling into the white. It was then when Japan jumped from the trees and landed next to me.

"Are you done?" he inquires calmly. "No!" I shriek, flinging a handful of snow at his face. I should know better than to engage him in a fist fight; he easily overpowers me. I lie in the snow, panting and coughing up blood from a punch from him to my stomach. before I can stop him, Japan kneels beside me and gently unwraps my scarf. He is shocked as he sees me looking like him as I wince and wipe blood from my mouth. "Are you alright?" he asks. I don't answer him; only sit up and glare at him. "I only wanted to talk to you. You were the one who attacked me," he points out. I glare.

"Who do you work for?" he asks after he gets uncomfortable with my death stare. "Why were you there?" he asks. I remain rebelliously silent as he lists off a few more questions. "You know I can't let you go until you answer me," he points out. "What is your name?"

I cross my arms, sigh, and finally speak. "Saiya," I lie. Japan nods. "That is a nice name," he awkwardly says. I don't reply. "...Who do you work for?" he asks again. "Myself." Japan stares at me. "Really. Well, then who were you whistling to?"

"No one of importance," I coldly answer. "They are of importance if they are planning on attacking. How many bugs did you plant in the warehouse?" I shake my head. "Zero." Japan doesn't seem to believe me. "Then what were you doing there?" I exhale through my nose sharply. I can't just tell him we were planning on beating up Germany.

A scream suddenly pierces the air. Then another. The first was female, the second was male. I tense. "No!" I gasp. "You know those people?" Japan asks. I whirl on him. "What did you do to them!" I ask in a dangerous whisper. "Nothing!" Japan hastily answers, lifting his hands in a gesture of surrender. But that's not good enough. "What did you _do_ to them!" I shriek, balling my hands into fists. "Calm down," he says. I turn and start to run towards the direction of the screams but Japan grabs my shoulder. "N-no!" I yell, "Sydney! Alex!"

Japan puts his hand over my mouth and crouches behind a tree, making me do the same. I struggle fruitlessly. "Be still," he says, "Do not make a sound." I don't know why he's like this. But something tells me to do as he says. I don't know what, but I guess I'll find out in a minute. "...little friend should be around here somewhere," a gruff voice calls. "You sure?" another asks. "Of course I'm sure, you idiot!" the first voice shouts, "Boy, when I get my hands on that little rat I'm going to kill her," it continues. With a jolt, I realize they're talking about me. And I recognize who the first voice is. Our captor. Mr. Hannaford, or Mr. Twill, or Mr. Collins. Whatever his name is. And he has my friends.

I start trembling, and the cold has nothing to do with it. Japan's aura was weak when we were fighting, but now it's gone completely even though I still feel one of his hands over my mouth and the other on my shoulder. I feel...Germania. I-...I thought he stayed behind! Did _he_ catch him? I hope not...

"Come out, come out, little Rin..." _he_ croons to me. I guess Japan knows my name isn't Saiya. Whoops. "Don't you want to save your _friends_?"he sneers. "Turn off your aura," Japan breathes to me. "How?" I breath back after he removes his hand. "Pretend you're not here." Is that all it takes? Well...it works for Japan..._I am not here. I am back home. Alex and Sydney are here. It's just a normal day at home. Calm. I am not here. _ I can feel myself relax. I suddenly tense up again when I realize...I don't remember my adress.

I lived in Japan, and Alex and Sydney lived close to me. But I don't remember what street. I don't remember which school I went to. I don't remember what city it was in. I don't remember the faces of my mother and father. Did I have siblings? A pet? Any other friends? I can't remember... "Try again," Japan whispers.

Shakily, I nod. _Flying. I am flying. There is no need for me to find my next foothole. I can actually, truly fly. I laugh as the clouds around me wet my clothes. Birds fly around me. My toes skim over the tops of the trees. I do a nosedive and touch the water with my fingertips. I am not here. I am in the sky, minding my own buisness._ Even with my daydream, it takes ages for _him_ to take his henchmen and my best friends and leave.

I stare at the footsteps in the snow and make a silent promise to find them and rescue them.

I stand up and brush snow from my legs and sleeves while trying very hard to wipe my face clean of any emotions. Even if he did save me from them, Japan is still the enemy, and I will not give the enemy the satisfaction of seeing me burst into tears. "Any other questions you would like to ask me?" I ask. Japan is silent for a minute. "...Are you alright?" I flinch and turn away. " That is irrelevant. Next question," I say. "Who were they?" I pull myself on the lowest branch on a neighboring tree. "My... friends." I think Japan has learned to keep his distance. "Alex and Sydney...?" I nod; no use in hiding it. I did scream their names. Our interrogation is cut short by the small "Hello...?" from somewhere to the left.

I suck in a gasp. I was about to ask if it was Germania, but Japan is here. So, instead, I mimic the soft call. "Hello?" Germania stumbles into view. "...Rin...?" I nod and jump from my perch to meet him. "What happened?" He is not in good shape. Something seems to have hit his head like a club; blood falls slowly from the wound, spilling over an already-forming black eye. "The two...I- I followed...They stopped and...The boy hit me with the...how do you say...gun. Something is not right. It was out of protection, not harm for me...I awoke and they were gone..." Germania stumbles over his words and begins to mix German with the Japanese while I assess the damage done to his head. He suddenly tenses as he notices the curious Japan behind me. "You...!" He begins rapidly babbling in German. With all the failed German lessons that Sydney gave me, I recognize a few words. I hear the word 'kill' once or twice. Or three times.

I stand awkwardly as he releases tension through words that neither Japan nor I can understand. Finally, the ten-year-old-looking ex-nation stops and glares at Japan, who gazes back in confusion. **(I had writer's block here for the LONGEST TIME. D: WRITER'S BLOCK IS EVILLLLLLL! I'm serious, I did NOTHING on the rest of the trip because I couldn't think of anything!)**

An awkward silence passes. Then Japan turns towards me. "...What did he just say?..." I shrug. "Don't speak German. But I can tell he doesn't like you."

"Oh."

A thought seems to occur to Germania. "...Where are we...?" I stop and look around. I wasn't looking where I was going when I was trying to get rid of Japan. Without another word, I hop up on the nearest tree and begin to climb. When I get to the top, I pivot around, trying to find a clearing in the sea of vegetation. But there isn't.

We're lost.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Germania's POV

Very quietly, I take a few steps closer. The two I am trailing don't know I am following. I don't know where the other girl, Rin, I think her name is, is, but she's not here. Her friends look up behind them as one long birdcall sounds. "Oh no..." the girl who looks like Germany says worridly. The boy, Alex, looks grim, but he puts two fingers between his teeth and blows one short whistle. The two listen intently for more birdcalls.

One. They don't move.

Two. I can see they really want the whistles to stop here.

Three.

Four.

Four long whistles. The two seem like they've had the wind knocked out of them. "No," Alex says. "This is my fault, we can't just leave her." The girl, Sydney, looks close to tears, but she holds them in for the sake of her friend. "Alex, we have to go. She-...she knows what she's doing..." And, before Alex can stop her, she whistles three short times.

Alex looks murderous, but he follows when Sydney tugs on his sleeve. The two break out in a run. "Comin' or what, Germania?" Alex says harshly as they pass my hiding place. Oh. Of course, I forgot. They can sense me.

Whoops.

Sheepishly, I come out from behind a snow-covered bush and jog behind them. "I am sorry for following you," I call to them. They ignore me. Finally, they stop to rest after we've run a while. Alex immediately collapses and buries his face in his hands. "This is all my fault," he moans. "If I hadn't pressured her into it..." Sydney doesn't confirm or deny this statement. It doesn't look like she can talk at all, or she might burst into tears. "Sh-she'd better be alright," she finally manages.

After a minute, Alex looks at me. "What're _you_ doing here?" he asks. "Well, you know that girl? The one who was wearing a dress earlier?" I ask. "Well...she remembered that Rome and I are nations. And...she has this idea that we're in an...how do you say...Anime. And she tackled us. I didn't enjoy that, and I noticed you sneaking off, so I left to help you."

"Yeah, well, we don't need your help," Alex spits, obsessively polishing the circular part of his...what is it called?...gun. I do not know if I am supposed to take this as a threat or not. I decide not; he is upset.

"We should keep going..." Sydney suggests weakly. I nod in agreement, and Alex stands up, ready to run. After a few minutes, they both stop at the same time. Sydney's head whips back and forth, and Alex puts his finger on the...trigger...and points it at seemingly random spots all around us. "Alex..." Sydney breathes. I don't see why they are so scared all of a sudden, but I follow their lead and remain quiet. Oh, how I wish I brought all my armor instead of just the sword and the shield!

Suddenly, they both turn to me. They share a glance, and Alex seems set on something. "Sorry..." Sydney whispers. Alex holds the gun and hits me on the head with it. My eyes widen as I fall backward. I black out, and proceed to float in and out of consciousness. I am in the bushes, watching men circle Sydney and Alex, who are both passed out. Then the two are tied up and tossed over the shoulder of a man and dropped unceramoniously into a...car...Then the men are prowling around, crooning to Rin to come out. When I wake up for good, they are all gone. I was drifting for maybe ten minutes.

Shakily, I bring myself to my feet. My head throbs, and my vision blurs, but I keep stumbling on. I can feel blood drip down my face. I hear voices, and I follow them, not caring whether it is friend or foe. "Hello...?" I ask. A feminine voice calls back, "Hello...?" I trip a few more steps and see two people; one is in black, the other white. I focus my eyes on the smaller figure in black. "...Rin...?" I ask. She nods, jumps from a tree, and approaches me. I can see her eyes widen as they graze over my head wound. "What happened?"

"The two...I- I followed...They stopped and...The boy hit me with the...how do you say...gun. Something is not right. It was out of protection, not harm for me...I awoke and they were gone..." I stutter. Rin gently probes my forehead, and I wince. My eyes focus on the figure in white. "You...!" I say in shock as I recognize Germany's accomplance. "Why, I am going to kill you! You think it is alright to help Germany kill the nations? Well, it's not! When I get my hands on you, you're going to die!" I shriek in German. I rant for a few more minutes, and they stare at me until I stop. An awkward silence passes. Then, Japan says, "...What did he just say?..." Rin shrugs. "Don't speak German. But I can tell he doesn't like you," she says. "Oh," Japan says simply. He does not know who I am, so, apparantly, my opinion of him does not matter.

Slowly, I cool off. Then something occurs to me. "...Where are we?..." I ask. All I was doing was following Sydney and Alex, and I didn't make sure to make note of the direction. Rin looks uneasy, and she turns and climbs a tree behind her. After a few minutes, she jumps from her perch high in the air and lands gracefully. "...I don't know."

XXXXXXXXX

Issa's POV

I open my eyes to the sound of a door shutting quietly. Blearily, I turn to that direction; I guess my mom is getting some rest. She doesn't handle stress well. I remember after dad died, she curled up on her bed and slept, and when she woke up, she would make sure Renae and I were alright (she taught me how to take care of babies, and sometimes a friend from church would help look after us), then she would cry a while (always making sure that I wasn't here to see her, but I was, most of the time. I didn't know how to comfort her, so I stayed by the doorway, sat on the floor and cried a little, myself), and then fall asleep again.

"Morning," Lauren smirks, raising an invisible teacup in an imatation of George Weasly. We share a laugh. "You're looking more like yourself. That's a wonderful thing," she says. I feel my cheeks, and they feel warm. Maybe a bit hot- but didn't Iggy say I'm sick...? Oh, well. I'll get over it. A fluffy cat jumps on my bed, and I recognize it to be Americat. I pick him up and cuddle him, and he meows contentedly.

Without warning, I hear a slight sniffling from Lauren. I look up, and see her head bowed, her bangs covering her face; I can see a teardrop cling to her chin. "Lauren?" I ask, startled. "...What's wrong?" She looks at me through pain-filled eyes and flinches. "Lauren...it's okay..." I say weakly, trying to move closer. Darn IV. She shakes her head and mumbles, "No...no...Nothing's okay...no...I'm pathetic...I have no reason to cry...it's just...words...no..." She then repeats "No" over and over until I succeed in dragging the IV closer without removing it from my arm (Canada would _freak_). I put my right arm around her and awkwardly sit there until she hiccups herself out.

"...I think France is in the kitchen if you want to stab and/or hug him..." I say, making a lame attempt at humor in Lauren's sake. From what I know, that kitty in her head (Whom is not nearly as nice as Americat, who is nudging my hand in an attempt to get me to continue petting him), is beating her up, just like Yami. Lauren laughs, and I smile when I see that she has stopped crying. "Heh, no, he's a creep today..." she sighs.

Oh no. "What did he do? I tentatively ask while scratching an impatient Americat behind the ears. "Nothing," Lauren shrugs, "I think I've mentioned before that I'm bi-French, right?" I give a little smile. "Oh, yeah..."

Randomly, she picks up Americat and makes him fly around the room like a reindeer while singing, "You better watch out, better stay inside, Better lock your doors and windows tonight, cuz the Frenchie's coming to town...!" We both crack up, and she sets an unamused Americat back on the bed, where he grumpily flops down on my stomach. By the time I've regained my breath, my face feels a little warmer. I poke a sulking Americat's ear and watch as he flicks it irratably. But I laugh and pet him, which cheers him up quite a bit. We talk for a few minutes more. But within a few minutes, I fall asleep as if drugged.

When I wake up, it's all dark. There's a pressure on my stomach still, indicating that Americat hasn't left. I stroke his silky fur as I rub my burning eyes. As said eyes get used to the dark, I put my glasses on for the first time in days. Zack is still asleep. Americat is still asleep. Nothing really out of the ordinary. I stretch, but then I violently jump when my foot bumps a body. It's small and furry, and closer inspection proves it to be Mr. Kumajirou. Americat woke up with a hiss when I jumped, and he jumps down and cuddles Zack.

I sit up and poke the polar bear on the nose. His beady black eyes open sleepily. "Why aren't you with Canada, Kuma?" I ask softly. "...Who...?" I sigh. "Your owner. Canada. The one who feeds you and looks like America."

"Oh, him. I don't know. Thought he was in here, but I found you. You kinda smell like him," Kumajirou says sleepily. Confused, I smell my arm. It smells like hospital and cat. "I...smell...like Canada," I say, just for confirmation. "Yep. He smells like America," Kuma says, pointing his paw to Zack's bed. _Odd...Maybe Kuma is always like this..._ I doubt Zack smells like America. He probably smells like hospital and coffee. Maybe blood, but he's too far away. I bet he smells like cat now, due to the way Americat is rubbing against his face. With a start, Zack wakes up. "Cat!" he yelps in a loud voice. I give a small giggle. "Hi, Zack," I say. But my voice won't rise above a whisper. I frown and put my hand against my throat. I didn't notice it before because I was whispering. But now, my voice stays at that level. Zack's volume surprises him too.

"What's wrong with my voice...?" I ask, more to myself than Zack. It's the same: soft as a feather. "I don't know..." Zack answers. His voice, though still his, is very loud. We look at each other and say at the same time, "This is weird." Whisper meets almost-shout, and we both crack up. His laugh is booming, mine rather breathy.

I brush hair out of my eyes, and a strand pops back into place, right in the middle of my forehead. I push it away again, with the same results. Getting frustrated, I grab it and hold it to the side; but when I let go, it springs back in my face. I go cross-eyed trying to look at it. It's long, and it has a single loop down the middle. "Huh," I say in my whimper of a voice. "I have a Canada-curl."

I look over at Zack and hold it up for him to see. "Cool," he says. "You have an America-curl," I continue, pointing. He stops petting Americat and probes the strand gently. "Huh," he echoes. "Weird..."

Right now, we laugh about it. But something...something isn't right. Mr. Kumajirou says I "smell" like Canada, whatever Canada smells like to him, I have a soft voice like his, and I have a curl. Zack "smells" like America, has a loud voice, has his cowlick, and Americat is rubbing affectionately against him like he is America. Weird...

I shake the thought away. "So, how're you feeling?" I ask. Mumble, whatever. "It's weird...but I feel great. Like I could run for miles without stopping. But if I poke my stomach"- he does, and he winces- "the feeling goes away. It's weird." To prove his point, he sits up. "Ah-" I protest, but he says, "It doesn't hurt. I don't know why..."

My ominous feeling increases. I narrow my eyes and tap my chin in thought. "This is..." I say. "Not right," Zack finishes. I nod. "Exactly." I remember that he's still sitting up. "Even though you can't feel the pain, you should still lie back down. You could be accidentially hurting yourself worse." He nods and flops back. "Yeah, guess you're right..."

I run my fingers through my hair. "Hey," I say suddenly, "my hair's longer." I run my fingers through again, and it seems to be to about my chin, maybe shorter. "Yeah. I noticed," Zack says. Kumajirou sits up and crawls on my lap. "I'm hungry," he says. I laugh and pet him behind the ears. "Sorry, Mr. Kumajirou. I don't have any food. But if you find the real Canada, he'll feed you. But maybe you should stay. It's..." I look at the clock, "six in the morning," I tell him. "Okay..." he yawns. Kuma puts his head on my knee and closes his eyes. Soon, he is sleeping.

"...That's a talking polar bear..." Zack points out carefully. "Uh-huh. His name is Mr. Kuma-..." I stop. What's the rest of his name...? I can't remember! This is not good, I can tell..."Mr. Kuma...something. Kumajello, or something," I say. "Didn't you say...Kuma...jirou?" I nod. "Oh. Right. Mr. Kumajirou. Canada's pet." Almost as if cued, Kuma raises his head and opens a sleepy eye. "...Who?" I poke his ear. "Canada. Your owner. The one who feeds you."

"Oh. Him."

The door is nudged open a crack. In flies Gilbird. "Wow. Animals love us today," I say as he settles on my head. "Piyo~!" Gilbird chirps happily. "Whose is that?" Zack asks. "Prussia's. His name's Gilbird. Like Gil_bert_. Kinda funny," I say while scooping up the little yellow bird. "Prussia's the albino dude, right?" I nod. "Yep." He holds up a purring Americat. "And this is America's?" I nod again. "Americat. You'd think they'd've come up with more original names." Zack laughs. "Yeah. That's weird. If I had a cat, would it be named Zackcat?"

I laugh. "Issacat."

"Harveycat."

"Joshcat."

"Laurencat."

"Yours is the funniest because it rhymes," I say through giggles. "Zackcat...Za-cat. Zakat. Zackcat..." he says. We crack up again. Gilbird hops off my shaking hand and does a figure-eight around the room. "Piyo~! Piyo~!" he peeps. I lie back on the bed. Gilbird stops flying around and lands on Americat's fluffy head. "Mrrr..." he growls, twitching his tail in annoyance. When growling fails, Americat nips upward, and Gilbird takes flight, only to land on Zack's head. Americat stands, arches his back, and hisses at the top of Zack's head. "Poor Americat's been annoyed to death today, hasn't he?" I ask through a giggle.

"S'okay, boy. Not hurting me. Birds are friends. I guess. Never held a bird before," Zack says. most of that was directed to Americat, but the last line was for me. "Me neither. My grandparents used to have some ducks, and I'd always try to hold one, but they'd just quack at me and run away," I recall. Zack snickers. "I used to go to Philadelphia a lot on field trips, and I'd chase pidgens with Josie. Needless to say, the teachers weren't very happy with us." I laugh. "That's funny." Then we go into a conversation that is loosely bird-related, with me starting with the time my family went to Red Robin **(do not own)** and Renae was freaked out by the person who went around in the costume.

We both stay awake for a long time, considering our sleep amount in the past couple days. We're both awake to see the sunrise. "Beautiful..." I say as the room gradually gets lighter. "Yeah..." Zack agrees. Almost as soon as he said that, his head drooped and nearly fell on Americat, who jumped aside just in time. He streaks past my bed and noses his way out the door. "Night," I say.

The door opens and Prussia pops his head in. "Hey, the Awesome Me wants to know if you've seen the Awesome Gilbird." I nod. "Nesting in Zack's hair," I say, pointing in that direction. "Awesome. _Danke_," Prussia says, grinning to expose his pointed teeth. He comes fully in the room (Nice footie pajamas, Mr. Awesome), scoops the little bird up, and turns around. "...You have a curl," he says, pointing at it. "Uh-huh," I respond shaking my head to make it fly around. "That's really weird, it's just like Canada's!" he exclaims while coming over. He pokes it. "A-ah..." I gasp. Little tears form in the corners of my eyes. "Whoa, you act the same as Canada when I touch his curl!" His eyes get all wide all of a sudden. He lets out a nervous "Kesese...sorry..." and walks away before I can figure out why. I think for a minute, then turn a bright red.

Oh.

...Ew.

"Perv..." I say, chucking my pillow at the door.

Hey, why is Prussia up at seven in the morning, anyway? Doesn't he sleep until three in the afternoon? Maybe he just noticed a distinct lack of yellow birdies. The door opens again to reveal a person who I would expect to be up this early. "Hi, Canada," I say. "I can't find Mr. Kumagitchi!" he exclaims. Then he notices the big lump of polar bear at my feet. "...Oh. Never mind..."

"I woke up an hour ago and he was there. Came in here because he was looking for you, but apparantly, I 'smell like you'," I tell him as he picks up the bear, who mumbles, "Food..." and puts his paw on the top of Canada's head. "That's weird..." he says. "...How long have you had that curl? It's just like mine..."

"Oh. Today. Woke up and it's there," I say, poking it. Canada only nods. "Odd, eh?" I notice that our voice levels are both at mumbles. "Yeah," I say. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say I'm turning into you." We both laugh a little. "So, how are you feeling today?" he asks. "I feel a lot better," I say. "You look a lot better," he says. "Not as pale. It was really scary to see you that white. It's not natural..." I nod. "Thanks for caring," I say.

My stomach starts to yell, "I WANT FOOOD" at me.

Very loudly.

I blush as I pretend not to hear it. Canada gives an amused chuckle. "Want some pancakes?"

"GRRBLARRRG YESSSS," my stomach answers. I just laugh along with him and say yes. "Can I help?" I ask, swinging my feet over the edge of the bed. "Uh...no. Better not risk it," Canada says. "Aw," I pout. "Okay." Canada drops Kumaking back on the bed. "Will you watch him for a while? He always gets into the flour..." I nod and stroke his fur. "Yeah, no problem," I say. "Thanks," he says, and then he leaves.

About twenty minutes later, which I pass with waking up Kumajiggly and asking him what it's like to be a talking polar bear, Canada comes back in with a stack of pancakes on a tray. I look at it as he sats it on the table next to me. "...I love you," I tell him as I put it on my lap. Canada blushes.

While I attack the heavenly awesomeness that is Mattie's pancakes, Lauren comes in. "Ooh, pancakes!" she chirps as she sits next to me. She reaches out to take a bit with her fingers, but I slap her hand away. "Mine!" I hiss, protecting the fluffy, maple-covered breakfast food. Lauren grins and makes a tutting sound with her teeth. "Somebody's sharing skills need work." Canada gives a nervous giggle. "They're really that good...?"

"Dude, they're better than good!" I exclaim. "They're freakin' _awesome_!" Canada beams. "Alright, I'm getting my own," Lauren declares while zipping out of the room. She re-enters a minute later with her own tray of pancakes. Kumahaiiro ambles over to Canada and tugs on his pants leg. "I'm hungry," he announces. Canada picks him up and leaves, probably getting some food for the little bear. As they exit, I hear Kumagurou ask, "...Who are you?..."

I finish my pancakes, put the tray on the little table next to me, and wipe my mouth with the back of my hand. "So, what'd you do last night? You were all prettied up and in a dress," I ask Lauren. "You don't remember?" she asks. "You came downstairs and saw my...scene."

"Did I?" I ask. "Huh..." Lauren eats a few more bites of pancake before she answers. "Well...You know Teacup?" I nod. "Can I kill him yet?" I ask hopefully. Lauren laughs. "No. Then I'd die too. Well...he kinda...took over me last night. I don't know how. But he was controlling me. He yelled at Hungary and France for asking too many questions about my date with Dimah. Scared the bloody heck out of everyone when I was fighting against him..."

I think about this solemnly for a minute, then reach over and flick Lauren's forehead. "Ow!" she exclaims, but she's laughing. "What was that for?" I can't help but grin, myself. "That was for Teacup." I lean in to her ear and shout (as well as my quiet voice will allow), "YOU HEAR THAT, YOU DUMB CAT? GET OUT OF HER HEAD!" Lauren and I crack up. "He hears whatever I hear. So the shouting's not mandatory."

"Oh. Sorry," I say sheepishly. "By the way," Lauren says, "are you feeling alright? Your voice is kinda...Canadian." I giggle at the comparison. "Yeah. I feel better than I have in days. I don't know why my voice is like this. Oh, and look," I say, pointing at my forehead, "I have a Canadian curl, too." Lauren reaches out, and I add, "Don't touch it!" She withdraws her hand. "That's weird..." she says. "I know. Something about this isn't right... I just have a bad feeling."

Our discussion is broken when France struts in. "Get enough beauty sleep, Frenchie?" Lauren asks while cutting up a piece of pancake. "I did, thank you, my dear," he says, smiling creepily. "I'll just confiscate any sharp objects..." I say while taking Lauren's fork and knife from her hand. Both of them stare at me. "What...?" I ask, "Do I still have maple syrup on my face...?"

France lets out a weird, "Onhonhonhonhon~!" and Lauren continues staring. "Okay, seriously, what?" I ask. Lauren takes a while to answer, and she responds in French.

"...You're speaking French."

**WHOA! XD**

**heh heh heh. I'm so evil. Gotta love my over-active imagination. **

***insert Spongebob who I do not own* "Imaaaaaaaaaagination~~~!" *insert rainbow***

**XD **

**ONE! WHY IS ISSA TALKING IN FRENCH? O.O (I don't really know where that came from. XD Sorry!)**

**TWO! Where are Alex and Sydney?**

**RANDOM QUESTION! Are you allergic to anything? (I'm allergic to a medicine called...'Ammoxacillian'...? Spelling...?...Pronounced 'Ah-mox-a-sil-in'. Maybe cats, too, but I'm not sure.)**

**FOUR! What is a funny bird anecdote of yours? (My grandparents actually did have ducks that don't like people, and my sister used to be TERRIFIED of people in costumes. XD)**

**FIVE! What's going on with Issa and Zack? o3o**

**Uh-huh. Yeah. **

**...o3o**

**I like turtles.**

***insert ASDF movie which I still do not own* Hello, mein turtle! **

**Hello!**

***le random person steps on turtles***

***explosion***

***insert more ASDF movie which I still do not own* Oh, no. I'm not stepping on you!**

***le insert car on top of him***

***insert Llama* **

**...Hello!**

**XD I love ASDF movie. So funny. I could quote it all day, but I won't. o3o **

**"I spend hours trying to make it through the day, I don't know if I'll ever be the same. Hard enough when your all alone in a city that you love, now Atlanta's just a burial ground. My tongue is weak and everytime I try to speak I can't say nothing, nothing at all. It's hard to think when losing someone only makes you want to scream, and now that you're gone...Sleep well, my friend, it will be another moment, we'll meet again, just let it go. Sleep well, goodnight, here's something to remember, I wish that you were here by my side..." 'Everything's an illusion' by Mayday Parade. I AM IN LOVE. :D With MP. o3o I love this song. **

**Bye bye~! **


	10. Someone else's memories

**Yey, quick update~! You guys prosper from my boredom. XD**

***Cookies for CelticGirl7, nekoNamine, MysticDayze, fireflame1801, Kitana Lunara, caset290, Tabby-tan, FoRkFaCe, and Art and Soul* I made those cookies myself! And, also...I think I mixed up the sugar and salt. Just saying. You might not want to eat those. **

**...What...? It's the thought that counts...!**

**o3o**

**...**

**...o3o**

**Hai. :3 *derp face***

**Who wants to know what I did today! **

**Oh well. I'm telling you anyway.**

**Wait for it...**

**Wait for it...**

**NOTHING! o3o SO EXCITING! And I'm waiting until now to start writing. Something tells me I'm gonna have to finish this tomorrow. Oh well. Something to do then. **

**I'm gonna shut up now, okay? Okay. **

Issa's POV

Lauren and France stare at me. France is the first to recover. "Onhonhonhon~!" he giggles, which isn't particularly helpful. "Okay, seriously, what?" I ask, beginning to be nervous. Lauren stares at me for a while, then switches languages on me. But I somehow still understand it. "...You're speaking French," she tells me. I stare at them for a while, groan, and then flop back onto the bed.

"And I thought this couldn't get any weirder..." I mutter moodily. Now that I listen to the words coming out of my mouth, they are in French. Goody. Lauren doesn't say anything, and France is still Onhonhon-ing. Canada comes back in. Immediately, he notices the tense feel in the air. "...What happened?" he asks in Japanese.

I sit up and shrug. "I don't know! I'm speaking French. _French!_ I don't _know_ French! I never intended to _learn_ French! This is-...this is-...Argh!" I yell in frustration. I flop back again and shove the pillow over my face, like this will do anything. Honestly, I'm not really surprised. Anything can happen here; I've learned that the hard way through the past two weeks.

Has it been two weeks yet...? The first day at Germany's place was the first day. The next day I escaped, we had the dance, the meeting and the (very quick) failed attack. I went home that night and went to school in the morning. The third day, America and Canada came and took me back. That was a pretty uneventful day. That night I had the nightmare about England being tortured, which turned out to be true. The fourth day was when Josie came, and, later that night, Zack kissed me. Then I ran and got caught. Spent the night there to awaken on the fifth day, most of which I spent there until Austria came. Stayed there until the sixth day. Got hit with the translator, made allies with Austria and Hungary, and Switzie and Liechtenstein came, and Switzie saved Josh and Iggy. Pretty much everyone came that evening: America, Canada, Italy, Zack and Josie. Then the seventh day. Zack was taken and I tried to kill myself. But Lauren was there just in time. She also saved Iggy.

Eighth day, we met Alex, Sydney, and Rin (I hope they're okay. They've been in their room for a while. I don't think they trusted anyone but me and Lauren). Ninth day was pretty boring; I don't remember much happening that day. Tenth day, Zack was safe, but Lauren and Russia weren't. I stayed up all night watching her little bracelet-camera. Eleventh day, Lauren was safe, and so was Renae and Josie. Then I went on another suicidal rampage and knocked myself out for the most part of two days. So, the two-week mark was yesterday, when my mom came and gave me her blood so I wouldn't die. Today is the fifteenth day. Two weeks and one day.

I lift the pillow off my face and sit up, cuddling it. We sit in frustrated silence. Even France doesn't seem to want to crack a perverted comment; he just seems concerned about me. That's one of the things I like about France. When things are serious, he can be a good friend. England walks in. "Morning, all. Issa, how are you?" I snort before I reply. "French," I grunt.

England looks horrified.

"Wha- how-...?" I shrug. "That's the thing. _I don't know_!" I say, my voice rising in emphasis. I notice that once England started talking in Japanese, my reply, which I didn't give much thought, was in Japanese as well. "It's Canadian-French," France supplies. I notice the language switch that time. "But if...Why am I speaking any form of French?" I ask. He just sadly shakes his head. But...Canadian...English is another official language of Canada...Maybe...I concentrate, willing my mind to switch to my native language.

"Canada, do you know what's happening?" I ask in English. He jumps when I switch languages, but he shakes his head. "I don't know. Wh-why can you-...?" I shake my head. "I don't know. This is all really, really weird," I say, returning to Japanese. "I mean, Kumajello-" "Kumajirou," Lauren corrects. "Right. Kumajirou said I smell like you, whatever you smell like to him, I mysteriously grow a curl like yours, I speak French-Canadian and English, which are your two official languages...This is...this is just..." I can't finish. I don't know how to describe it. It's just..."Weird..." I finally say.

At a time like this, it really irks me when I can't think of a better adjective to use to describe my frustration and confusion.

I bring my kness up to my chest and hug them, squishing the pillow with my lap. The IV brushes against my leg. Annoyed at the restraint, I glare at it in its place in my new scar. I look away, then snap my gaze back. It should just barely be scabbing over by now.

But it's just a thin pink line.

"What the French toast!" I shriek. "Wh-what!" England, France, Lauren, and Canada chorus. "It's- It- healed! It _healed_! Oh my gosh, what the freak!" I stare at the little line, and then my right hand flies up and collides with the right side of my face, right where the rough line on my cheekbone should be. But my cheek is smooth.

"What. The. _Crap_!" I growl, burying my face in the pillow. England, I think, raises my left arm to inspect it, and I don't think it's his hand that's trembling. I wince in the pillow when he removes the needle from my arm. England runs his finger over where the needle just left, and I can almost hear the frown in his expression. "That's not right," he says simply. "Pardon my French, but," I switch to that language, "No derp, Sherlock." My voice is muffled by the pillow. Lauren gives a slight laugh at my sarcasm, but it is stifled quickly.

"...Why are you _smiling_?" Lauren suddenly asks. I peek out and see an excited grin on England's face. "This is magic," he says breathlessly. "Excuse me?" Lauren asks, raising her eyebrow. "_Magic!"_ he repeats, his voice rising. "Don't you see?" His grin widens. "I'll show America magic is real. This'll show him!" And with that, England runs a few steps away and poofs off to a random place.

I stare at the spot where he vanished and am silent for a while. "...I'm screwed," I decide. Lauren giggles again. "...What happened?" Zack slurs, waking up. "You're all gathered around Issa. What now?" Without thinking, he rubs his eyes while sitting up. Lauren gives a shocked noise of protest, bounds over, and pushes him down. "You were shot in a vital organ a few days ago, and you think you're well enough to sit up?" she demands shrilly. "Wha-Yes," he states. "Yes I do. It doesn't hurt," he says, stubbornly rising up on an elbow. Lauren starts to argue, but I interject. "Lauren, I think what's happening to me's happening to him, too, but with America," I say, breaking up the fight.

Canada, being a good little man-nurse, comes over and unwraps the bandages from around Zack's waist. Canada pauses and stiffens. "See?" Zack says. "I'm better. I know it's really freaky, but I'm okay." Canada walks backward and flops on a plastic chair. "This is..." Zack sits up. "Not right," he finishes, just like he did to me. Suddenly, he frowns and pats his chest. Then he grins. "I have a six-pack!" he exclaims happily.

The tension of the moment breaks, and we all crack up. Just the randomness contrasting the panic of our unknown circumstances is funny.

**(I'm serious. I legit burst into laughter when I wrote that. XD Good thing I'm in my room!)**

The door opens. Harvey walks in. "Good morning. I heard a commotion in here and was curious," he says in French. Zack, out of the corner of my eye, stares in confusion. "Oh, and you are sitting up!" Harvey says happily to me. "The last time I saw you, you were dreadfully pale and could hardly stay awake," he says. "I know. It was pretty annoying, drifting in and out in consciousness," I reply.

Harvey jumps violently and stares. "Uh-wh-wha-how long have you- when did- wh-what...?" he stutters. He shakes his head, letting his hair fly around. "You're speaking in French," he points out at last. I give a small laugh. "I know. I have no idea what's going on," I say. Harvey gives a small smile, and then, with no warning, he lets out a deep, "Onhonhonhon~!"

It's comical to see Harvey to slap a hand over his mouth in surprise. All the heads in the room are turned towards him, and he blushes. "Th-that was...not me..." he says. "I-I mean, that was me, but not intentional. I- I don't- don't know why-..." France looks on the verge of tears. "I'm so proud of you~!" he squeals, wrapping the poor boy in a hug. "Bad France!" Lauren and I shriek at the same time. I hit him with my pillow and Lauren chucks a corn cob at him.

What...? Where did that come from...?

I don't want to know.

Anyway, France lets go of Harvey while fixing his hair from where my pillow hit and brushing little flecks of corn out of his stubby little beard. He scowls. "Was that _really_-" "Yes," Lauren and I monotone at the same time. France glares at us once more and leaves.

I glance at Zack. He is just staring, dumbfounded, at his hands. "You okay?" I ask. I notice that I haven't switched, so I am about to ask in Japanese, when Zack answers, "I guess so," in a constricted voice. He replied in French. Zack looks up at me. "This isn't real, right? You and I, we're still speaking Japanese, aren't we?"

It startles me to see him this worried. I guess he hasn't quite grasped the fact that anything can happen here. "I'm sorry," I say. I really mean it, too. "We're talking in French..." I reach out my hand, and only our fingers are able to touch again.

Harvey lets out another French laugh, blushes deeper, mutters "Sorry!" and leaves.

I look back at Zack. "It's because America can speak French," I tell him. "America doesn't have an official language, so he can speak all the languages." Zack shifts slightly, so I am able to curl my pointer finger around his. "So...I can speak every language," he repeats. I nod. He thinks for a minute, and says something in Arabic, probably the most outrageous language he could think of. The he brightens up and switches back to Japanese. "That'd be cool if I knew what's happening," he says. "Yeah," I agree.

The door opens. I think it's England again, but it's Josh. I yank my hand away from Zack's. This doesn't go by unnoticed. I can see him struggling to remain emotionless as he asks Lauren, "I'm talking in a British accent. Should I be scared?" He does, in fact, have an accent identical to Lauren's as she replies with a sigh. "No...there's something odd going on. But only to you lookalikes. It's just...odd..." The strangely emotionless expression that Josh is wearing doesn't slip past Lauren; she glances in my direction.

**(I don't need to put English in italics anymore because Issa can speak it again. Just FYI)**

Josh leaves without looking at me. Immediate guilt washes though my entire body, hurting me far worse than I have in the past few days. Before I can regret anything, I stand up and follow him. Lauren grabs my shoulder, but before she can protest, I look back at her, letting the expression in my eyes explain. She seems to get my mental message, and she nods. Without a word, I leave and trail after Josh.

My stalking is not so secret. Not like I wanted it to be. "You should be resting," Josh says over his shoulder. The British accent does really mess with his voice a little. _English,_ I tell myself. "I know," I reply in the same language. "I don't care."

"When did you...?" he asks, confused. "Today," I reply. "I don't know what's going on. England thinks it has something to do with magic, and he left to go brew a potion, or polish his wand, or something," I say. "All I know is I can now speak English, French, and Japanese. Just like Canada." Josh nods. "You've also got the little hair thing," he says, gesturing at his own forehead. "That's been established," I say with a smile. I can tell Josh wants to stay mad at me, but he cracks a smile.

"Look," he starts, "do you like Zack or myself? Because I'm just getting confused," he asks tiredly. "I honestly have no idea," I tell him. "I'm confused, too. It's a weird transition, to be a nobody then suddenly you have two people fighting to make you happy," I tell him. "I'm sorry..." he says suddenly. "A-at school, when Dylan and his gang ruined your book...I didn't do anything...I'm sorry..."

"So that's his name," I say thoughtfully. "Never actually learned it. Anyway, it's really not a big deal. Water under the bridge, or however that saying goes." Josh shakes his head. "No, I'm serious. I didn't do anything, any of the times. And that one time, after that mudslide..." I suddenly flashback to that day.

XXXXXXXX

_I was sitting under a tree on the school grounds. A mudslide had made us miss school for a day, but they did not clear out the mud, or even keep us indoors after lunch. The lunch monitors just told us to stay out of it, and that was it. _

_"Hey, Bella," a boy said in my ear. I was so wrapped in my book that I jumped when I heard the voice. I looked over to see the school's rich-boy bully smiling coldly at me. "Hello," I said. The thing with me was that if I didn't like you, I was overly polite. "Wa'cha reading?" he asked innocently. I saw mischief in his brown eyes. But I held up my book to show him that I was reading _The Hunger Games_. __**(**_**Is the disclaimer necessary by now? I don't own THG.)** _"Cool, cool," he said nonchalantly. _

_His evil smirk widened. "Some weather we've been havin', eh, Bella?" he chuckled slyly, eying the mud everywhere. "Uh-huh," I responded. He reached down and picked up a handful of the wet dirt. "You afraid of mud, Bella?" he asked. "No," I answered. The grin was at its widest. "Good." Mud flew into my hair. _

_"Hey!" I yelped indignantly. "Oh, you don't like this?" he laughed as he flicked two more mud balls at me. I couldn't see out of my glasses. Snatching them off my face, I started to run, but my feet slipped. I landed face-first in the mud. "Ha, that's what ya get for trying to run, _***beep**_!" he sneered. His posse joined him. The air was thick with flying mud balls. I covered my head and curled up until the lunch monitor started walking over here. "Hey, I thought I told you to stay out of the mud!" he called angrily. _

_"Oh, sorry!" the ringleader called back. He wiped his hands on his friend's hood and ran towards me. Before he collided with me, he stopped, skidding so the mud acted like a wave. _

_"I did nothing to you," I said through gritted teeth. Mud did not taste good. "Uh, yeah, you did," he said in a 'Well, duh' tone of voice. "You're alive, aren't you?" He yanked on a strand of my hair. "Have a nice day, _Bella_," he sneered. With a final shower of mud, he took his gang and waked away, jeering about how pathetic I looked on the ground. _

_I stood up and half-heartedly brushed mud off my book. That's two books they owed me. _

_"Hey! You!" the lunch monitor called. I walked over to him. "Didn't I say not to go in the mud? Look at you, you're a mess! Go get cleaned up and go to the principal's office!" he orders me. "B-but I-I-" "No 'buts'!" he says firmly. "Go!" _

_The unfairness of it all overwhelmed me, but I was not one to disobey. I trudged up the steps and wiped my shoes on the rug. I made a beeline for the bathroom, and I barely got there before I burst into tears. I stood over the sink and let my muddy hair drip, let my tears run. It wasn't fair. I was the one who was pelted with mud and I was the one being punished for it? "Argh!" I yelled, punching the wall. "OW!" I shouted, cradling my hand close to my muddy body. The pain doubled my sobs. _

_Eventually, after the bell rung, my face, arms, and clothes were acceptable, and I walked slowly to the office. Even though I had stopped crying a while ago, I still wiped my eyes. A door to my left opened, and the boy named Josh walked out. When he saw me, he muttered something about a textbook and went to his locker. I ignored him and continued my funeral march to be punished for doing nothing at all. _

_When I went to the office, they made a big fuss. The lunch monitor accused me of deliberately disobeying him and making a mess in the hallway. This part surprised me, because I was careful to not touch the walls with my muddy hands. I made sure I didn't trail mud. But they showed me a picture of a brown dirt trail leading to the girls' bathroom. _

_Deaf to my explanations, I got a detention. They called my mom, and I had to explain everything to her. She believed me, and she was angry, but I told her to let it go. "It's alright, Mom," I said with a sad smile. "It's only detention. It's not like it's the end of the world." _

_I went to the detention room the next day. I sat and stared at the wall for the two periods that I was supposed to be there. Josh was there, too, I noticed. I'm pretty sure his had something to do with the biology lab. I think he threw frog guts or something at someone. I heard it was the ringleader. Maybe he bullied Josh, too. Maybe we're in the same boat. _

_We were the only two kids in detention that day. Josh sat down on my right as we waited in silence for the two periods to be over. I noticed he glanced at my bruised hand every once in a while._

_At the end of second period, Josh and I walked down the same hallway to the class that we shared. "Some week, huh?" he said. He was trying to act casual, like he got detentions all the time, but I could sense a little nervousness. "Right," I muttered. Talking to people wasn't really on my to-do list. "Got a nasty bruise, there," he said, pointing at my hand, which I immediately stuffed in my pocket. "Punched a wall," I mumbled simply with a shrug. We got to class and we took our seats. I tried to pay attention, but I couldn't. I was too busy thinking, _Maybe he can be my friend. We're at the same level, right? Victims?_ So, you'd probably get my disappointment when I learned the next day that he was just messing around. The ringleader never bothered Josh. _Never mind_, I thought on the bus ride home._ I'm the only one of my status. Welcome to Nerdsville, population: me...

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I just felt so bad when I saw you walking to the office that day," Josh says. "Your eyes were all red and you banged your hand up pretty good. What'd you do? Punch a wall?" I nod and give a little smile. "That was the last time that wall messed with me," I joke. "So, anyway," Josh continues, "I threw frog guts at Dylan during biology. He deserved it, too. I wasn't too down when they gave me a detention. I sat next to you. You were doodling, I recall?" I nod again. "I don't remember what. I doodle a lot." Josh smiles. "You were doing the finger-thing, too. I only remember that because it woke me up when I was trying to nap." I laugh. "Sorry, I guess," I say.

We end up sitting against the wall and talking about random things: school anecdotes, the use of llamas, how platypuses came to be **(Platapeople? Platapi? XD Free cookie if you get that!)**, how people make paint, how to gather an army of turtles, and what to do when your goldfish turn into zombies and attack.

"...just burn them," I say. "I mean, they're fish. And they're dead. So, fire would burn their corpses. 'Nuff said," I declare. "But what if they just, like, reassemble themselves? Why can't you just, oh, I don't know, eat them?" I laugh. "Because then they could kill you from the inside." Lauren and Dimah walk past, chatting in Russian. Dimah's voice...is high-pitched...Like Russia's. Lauren sees me staring and shrugs in answer to his voice. I shrug it off and continue our odd conversation. "But, if you were successful in gathering the turtle army, then the turtles could fight them. Like, squish them with their shells," I say. "...That's it. I'm never getting a goldfish. Ever," Josh declares. I laugh again.

Canada comes and finds us. "England's back," he says with a small grimace. "I'm not too fond of Iggy's magic, either..." I say, standing up anyway. "Josh, you'd better come, as well. Whatever's happening is happening to you too," Canada says. As we walk back to the infirmary, Josh starts to voice his concerns. "So, you're cut is just...gone. The one on your face, too," he says. "Uh-huh," I say. "Well, my bullet wounds are gone, too." he says, pointing at his shoulder. "It doesn't hurt at all," he says, poking it. "I don't really have any explanation," I say. Josh suddenly frowns. "Am- am I-...talking in Japanese?" he asks. I think for a minute. "I think so. I didn't notice the switch. Weird, isn't it?" He nods. "Yeah, a bit..."'

We get there. Through the little window, I see England excitedly shuffling with unknown objects. Canada opens the door and we all go in. My eyes scan the room. Lauren, Dimah, Harvey, and Jia Li are here. "Where are the Axis lookalikes?" I ask. Canada shakes his head. "I don't know. I just hope they haven't gone too far..."

I suddenly lock eyes with Zack. My head starts to hurt, and so does my shoulder. My shoulder gets the worst, though. I see Josh and Zack also clutching their heads, but only my shoulder hurts, apparently. I feel myself collapse. I think I run into Josh as he falls, too. I hear a commotion, but I black out.

XXXXXXXXX

_Burning. Everything was on fire. _

_I was running, clutching my shoulder. It burned. How could he do this to me? I was his brother! I saw my citizens running, screaming, coughing, and covered in ash. I only pushed my way past, to the capitol building. England was there, looking disappointed. I was in tears. "En-England..." I choked. "That lunatic..." he growled. _

_I looked to where he was glaring. American soldiers were on the retreat. The burning on my shoulder got worse. "YORK!" I screamed. I ripped off my shirt and stared at the large, shiny red burn on my shoulder. "Al-Alfred..." I stuttered. "He's not your friend anymore," England said sharply to me. "I know," I answered, clenching my fingers into fists. _

_Rage flowed through me. I could not believe America would do this. I'm his brother. I don't care that I'm on the other side of this war. Family should come first. And he just destroyed York. Yes, England was using it as a base for his soldiers, but that's not a good enough reason. _

_America came from the smoke. My fingers tightened. "H-how could you..." I asked quietly, my voice full of fury. "Canada, I'm-" _

_"DON'T!" I shouted, surprising even England. "DON'T JUST COME HERE AND SAY YOU'RE SORRY!" I shrieked. I lunged and tightened my fingers around America's throat. England jumped forward and pried me off him. "GET AWAY! GET OUT OF MY COUNTRY! LEAVE MY CITIZENS ALONE!" I screamed. I was still screaming as he gave me a fleeting look of remorse and ran away. "I HATE YOU! NEVER COME BACK! YOU'D BETTER WATCH YOUR BACK, AMERICA, BECAUSE I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" _

_"Canada, lad," England said. He had to shout my name repeatedly. "CANADA!" he yelled, shaking me. "You'll have your revenge," he said. I yanked myself out of his grip. "I'd better," I snarl. _

XXXXXXXXX

The memory blurs. For a second, I am pulled back into consciousness. "Hey, I think they're waking up!" I flutter my eyes open. My shoulder stings and throbs. I try to reach up to put my hand over it, like it would stop the pain, but my hands are stuck. "I'm sorry," a voice says. "You were...not yourself. You tried to attack Zack." I tried to what?...Before I can figure out what, I pass out again.

XXXXXXXXXX

_This wasn't what I wanted. _

_Or maybe it was. _

_I had my revenge. Washington D.C. was burning, just like York did. It's the same chaos. I see Americans fleeing. Dolly Madison was leading a group of slaves with a painting away. Pandemonium. Chaos. Terror. _

_When I saw the evacuating Americans, panicking, all I could think of is my citizens. They did the same thing. America ran out of the White House, leading a group of soldiers. When he saw me, he froze. His face contorted into one of rage and sorrow. He waved the soldiers on, and they left. For a few minutes, we stood with nothing but the sound of his capitol burning. Then he shook his head. "I suppose I deserved this," he sighed. I noticed how he clutched his wrist, where a burn shone. "I just never thought you'd ever do this, Matt." _

_"Don't call me that." The words left my mouth without my brain's permission. "I am Canada. Not Matthew," I said. "Yes you are. Mattie, just join my side! We can get you independence! Arthur is nothing but a grouchy old tyrant, and you can do so much more on your own!" I shook my head. "No. I can't. I need someone to rule me and my people. England is experienced. I am not." _

_"But you don't like him," America said. I didn't answer. I didn't really like England like I liked France. Used to like France. He gave me up to England. Said I was nothing but a barren wasteland. I hated them both._

_"Family is family," I said at last. "You don't get to choose, but you can choose not to fight." America shook his head. "England started it," he said bitterly. "If he wasn't capturing my sailors and forcing them to join the British armada..." _

_"That's exactly why I can't have independence. England is protecting me from other nations," I said. The wind picked up. Rain started pouring. America glanced up at the sky. "Hurricane," he grunted. I looked behind me. "And a tornado." A funnel cloud rose like a column in the sky. Soldiers from both armies were flying. The screaming. The moans of dying men. I couldn't stand it. _

_"End it," I groaned, putting my hands over my ears. "Please, stop the war. It doesn't need to be this way..." America shook his head. "Yes it does. England needs to get it in his head. I'm not going to be another one of his colonies. I'm not going back." I clenched my eyes shut and collapsed to my knees. "He knows. He knows you're not coming home. This isn't necessary. Please, Al, end the war." _

_"No."_

_I curled up into a ball. When I looked up, America was replaced with England. "Come now, Canada," he said. "Let's go home." _

_"Go home?" I repeated. "Where is home? What's left? England, Al won't listen to me. He won't stop the war. It needs to stop. The killing needs to stop." England put his hand on my shoulder, which was as unwelcome as a large, hairy spider would be. "America needs to learn his place. He is a country now. This is what countries do to gain power." _

_"Power? Who cares about power? Power doesn't mean contentment, Arthur!" I said. "Don't call me that," he said, suddenly fierce. "If you are to ever become a country, you must not call others by their lowly human names." _

_"Yes, England."_

XXXXXXXXX

I open my eyes and groan at the light, shutting them again quickly. I try to shield the light with my hands, but they won't move. I force my eyes open. My hands are tied to the sides of the hospital bed. On either side of me, Zack and Josh are just waking up, and their hands are tied, too. "Wh-what happened?" I ask, not caring which language. Lauren comes and tries to untie me, but England holds her back. "You were trying to kill Zack," he tells me solemnly.

"Wh-I did what?" I ask, genuinely confused. "You were screaming something about York. Something about hating Zack, and for him to watch his back. I'm sorry, but the restraints are necessary. I don't know if it'll happen again." I furrow my eyebrows. "I really said Zack's name?" England shakes his head. "No, but you were screaming it in his ear while you choked him. You called him America."

"I thought I was America," Zack supplies. I feel a pang of guilt when I see finger-shaped bruises on his neck. I really did that...? "I thought I was you," Josh says to England. "I thought I was Canada," I say quietly. I think for a while. "The War of 1812," I declare. "When America burned York. England and I-...I mean, you and Canada burned Washington D.C. in return." I turn my head and stare at my left shoulder, like I can see it through my clothes. I can feel it. The burn. It hurts. "I was there," Zack says. "Me, too," Josh adds. My head feels foggy. I glare at Zack. "H-how could you?" I ask. He looks at his wrist, where there is a shiny burn mark right over the rope holding him back. "I guess I deserved this..."

I shake my head. "O-ow," I say. I look at Josh, and feel scared, like he's going to hurt me. I hate him. I shake my head again. No I don't...Josh is Josh. Not England. I'm not Canada.

Then why do I have his scar...? I look at Canada. He is frowning and rubbing his left shoulder. "It's gone, isn't it?" I hear my voice ask. He is startled for a second, then he nods. "What's gone?" Lauren asks. "...My burn. York. It's...gone..." Canada pulls his shirt down to reveal a pale shoulder, with a very distinct lack of burn marks. Lauren pulls back my hospital gown and shirt, and my shoulder is red and shiny. "Ow," she remarks, poking it. "Hey!" I yelp. "Sorry," she says. I look back at Canada. "You're very scary when you're angry, you know," I tell him. He laughs.

I look at Harvey, who is watching in a corner, and hate flows through me. "Y-you gave me up..." I say quietly. I'm not sure if anyone can hear me. "Y-you gave m-me to him..." I don't know why, but I point to Josh. My head fogs again. I wince at the headache, and Harvey and Josh do too. I black out again.

XXXXXXX

_"No! Please, Papa, don't!" I cried, hanging on to France's leg. "Let go," he said harshly, prying me off. I didn't want to go with Mr. Arthur. He was just so scary, and his eyebrows are too big to be normal. "Papa, no!" I shrieked as he gave me a push towards the blond man. "N-no! I don't wanna go with him!" _

_"Take him. He's nothing but a barren wasteland," France said to England. England tossed him a bag of money, and my papa turned and left, leaving me here. "Papa!" I bawled, trying to run to him. Mr. Arthur held me back. "Don't be like that, Canada," he said to me. "You'll like it here. I have a lot of little colonies for you to play with," he said. _

_He took my hand and led me down a hall. Everything looked too big and unfriendly. It scared me. I quieted my sobs, but tears still streamed down my face. "See," England said suddenly, opening a door. "America, look who's here,"he said, leading me in the room. Everything in this room is child-sized. A little boy about my age stopped jumping on a bed and stared at me. Then he grinned at me. "Hi!" he squealed, jumping off the bed and giving me a big hug. I froze when he hugged me. I didn't like it very much. I only wanted Papa to hug me. _

_"I'm America!" the little boy shouted. "I'm gonna save the world someday!" England patted him on the head. "It's 'going to'." America nodded, a strange stick of hair poking up and moving with his head. "Yeah, what he said! So, who're you?"_

_"I-I'm...I'm Canada..." I tell him, looking at my shoes. "That's a cool name! But it's not as cool as mine!" England shot him a look. "America, that wasn't very nice," he scolded. "I'm sorry. I like your name, really. Ooh, my human name's Alfred F. Jones! Y'know, just in case the humans ask. What's yours?" _

_"M-Matthew W-Williams..." I stuttered. I cried a little bit harder, because I remember when Papa helped me pick that name... "Aw, don't cry!" America said, hugging me again. "You have to be happy here, because you're with me, now, and the hero has to make everyone happy!" Eventually, I stopped crying. "Yay! I made you better!" America said. "Come on, let's go meet everyone else!" he said, taking my hand and running with me into the hall. England followed. I met a few of England's other colonies, like Seychelles, New Zealand, and Australia. Seychelles, pulling her chocolate-brown hair into pigtails, told me in French that England's mean and not to speak French around him. "But you are," I pointed out. "Uh-huh. I'll get punished later, but I don't really care." Then in English, she said, "Bye, Canada." England gave her an angry look. _

_Later on, England asked me if I wanted to have my own room. "No, Mattie's gonna sleep with me in my room!" America exclaimed. "It's Canada's choice, America," England reminded him. But because I didn't want to be all by myself in this scary place, I told him shyly that I could share a room with Alfred. America squealed, "Yay!" and hugged me again. "We're gonna be BEST FRIENDS!" _

XXXXXXXX

I jerk my eyes open. "How longwuz I out?" I slur. "An hour," Lauren calls from her spot next to Dimah. Apparently, all of the lookalikes here have gotten flashbacks from their countries. Jia Li and Dimah seem to be having the same one. Not a very pleasant one, either, by the way Dimah is Kolkolkol-ing and Jia Li is trying to do martial arts moves despite her restraints. Josh, Harvey, Zack and I just woke up from the same one. "Which memory?" Canada asks. "First day at England's," I reply. I notice that I am crying, just like chibi-Canada was.

My eyes burn, and I look at Harvey. "You gave me up," I accuse. Then I shake my head, and the feeling goes away. Lauren looks startled. "Your- Your eyes..." She comes closer. "What...?" I ask tentatively. "They were... they are...purple..."

Alex's POV

I wake up and feel a throbbing in my head. I let out a few colorful words in Italian and clutch it. Before I even open my eyes, I can tell it's cold. I sit up and look around.

Concrete.

Yay.

There's a wooden door over to my left, and there's no handle on the side I'm on.

Joy.

I'm alone.

Awesome.

And my gun's gone.

Even better.

"Fan-freaking-tastic," I mutter. My breath fogs around me. I really wish Sydney and Rin are here. Actually, I take that back. I hope they're as far away from here as possible. Bringing my knees up to my chest, I hug them, curling into a little ball of warmth.

Over the next two or three hours, I find myself pacing, sitting, standing, cussing, beating on the door, crying, and lying down. This room is too small. I feel trapped. Maybe because I am.

I don't know where I am. Most likely either in Austria or one of the surrounding countries. I couldn't have been brought far. I don't know how long I've been out. I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know where Sydney or Rin is. They're probably both in danger. And it's my fault for trying to be such a freaking hero.

I pace faster. "My fault..." I touch the wall and walk back the other way. "All my freaking fault..." I'm running now. "Why!" Back. "Why did I do it!" Forth. "Why did I make them go!" Back. "Please..." I trip and fall. I lie on the ground, tears starting. "It's all my fault they're most likely dead..."

I can't handle the idea of them being dead. Cold...motionless...limp...eyes staring without really seeing anything...I scream at the ceiling. Soon, the only sound in my cell is my broken sobs.

I can't stay still. I need to move. I pace the room again and again and again. It's nine of my feet one way, fourteen the other. The walls seem like solid concrete. The door is really thick, with steel reinforcements. The ceiling is really high, and there is a window letting in the last rays of sunlight. I wouldn't bother trying to climb that high. It's too small to get out of.

I.

Am.

Screwed.

Big time.

Night falls, and I continue walking the length of this tiny room. Partly for something to do, partly to keep from freezing to death. I run around in circles like a crazed squirrel until I'm panting and sweating. I get cold too quickly, and I do it again and again until I'm dizzy. The room spins around me and I have to sit down. I bury my face into my knees again and sigh.

I am so bored.

Yes, I'm freaking terrified, but there's nothing to do. I'd use my imagination, but I'm afraid of what it'll come up with. Violent ways of my friends' deaths...No, quit it. They're not dead. After all we've been through, they can't be dead. They just can't.

Someone screams, and it's muffled by the door. But I still hear it, and recognize it. "SYDNEY!" I yell, lunging at the door. "LET ME OUT! SYDNEY! SYDNEY!" I beat my fists on it again and again, but it won't open. I end up with splinters in my knuckles. But I don't back down. This door _will_ break. I'll make sure of that. Sydney screams again. "STOP IT! LEAVE HER ALONE! SYDNEY!" I scream. "SHUT UP IN THERE!" someone shouts, kicking the door.

"NO!" I shout back. I continue pummeling the door, but the thing won't budge! I hardly even made a _dent_ in it! "SYDNEY! STOP HURTING HER, ***beep***! LEAVE HER ALONE, TAKE ME INSTEAD!"

The door opens, and a man in cargo pants and a T-shirt storms in. He pushes me against the wall and punches me. "I _told_ you to _shut. Up._" I spit blood in his face. "And I said _no_," I snarl. The man growls, takes my shirt, and slams me into the wall again, and again, and again. The back of my head is bleeding, and my vision is fuzzy. He grabs my hair. Suddenly, I feel violated.

"Perv!" I shout, freeing the strand of hair that he held. How long has it been curly...? That's not my biggest problem right now. Sydney screams again. I lunge at the open door, but I am caught around the middle and thrown on the ground. Before I can move, the man starts kicking me again and again.

I don't know how long I am beaten. All I know is that Sydney screams twice more before he stops, loud and agonizing. A second man comes in and stops him. I cough up blood and groan. "C'mon, help me get his girlfriend in here. She won't be walking for a while," the second man says. My eyes follow them out of the room. They left the door open, but I can hardly breathe, much less follow them.

They come back in dragging a bloody body. They toss it unceremoniously onto the floor. "Syd!" I gasp. I start crawling toward her, but the second man lifts me by the back of my shirt. "Nice try, kiddo. Your turn."

I limp with them, staring over my shoulder the entire time. The first guy chains my hands to cuffs hanging from the ceiling. "Where's your friend, the black-haired one?" he asks. "I don't know," I say. A baseball bat slams into my stomach. I cry out in pain. "I. Don't. Know!" I repeat. Twice more I am hit. Twice more I repeat the same thing. I don't know where Rin is. She told us to leave her, and we did. She wouldn't have done that unless we were in danger.

"Stubborn one, ain't ya?" the second guy muses. "The girl was, too. Few more nights of this and you'll crack." He chuckles as he punches me. "Yep. You'll crack."

"Cowards!" I gasp as they use me as a punching bag. "You afraid of letting me fight back?" The first guy laughs. "Had your chance, kid. I beat you into the dirt."

They continue kicking my sorry butt until I'm hanging limp. The only thing keeping me up is the chains. I am in a state of semiconsciousness. "I want you to think long and hard about your friend," the first guy says to me as he drags me back to my cell. He throws me on the floor, and I hit it with a thump. I give him an idea on where he can keep his baseball bat.

I lie there for a few seconds, gasping for air and groaning, before slowly dragging myself to Sydney. She hasn't moved from her spot. "Syd..." I say. She opens her eyes. They're so full of pain. "A-Alex..." she whispers. "You're hurt..." I give a bitter laugh. "You're worse. What'd they do to you?" Sydney squeezes her eyes shut and winces. "Hit me...burned me...cut me...It hurts, Alex..." she whimpers. I cringe. "All they did was beat me..." I tell her. "R-really?" I nod. "With a bat, though."

"They want to know where Rin is..." she says. "I know. But we don't know. She could be anywhere." She nods. I move closer to her. "Cold in here," I say. She nods and shivers.

"It-...it hurts..." she says again. "Shh..." I say, hugging her. "Just rest..." She buries her face in my shirt. "I hope Rin never comes..." she tells me. "Or any of the countries. I hope I die. I hope all of us die so the pain will stop," she whispers. On the outside, I say to her, "Don't think like that. We have to be positive, or we'll never get out of here."

But on the inside, I agree with her whole-heartedly.

**Alex sure is fun to write with. He's kinda like Romano. But not quite as tsundre. :3 Still cute. **

**So, I was working on this for three days. Uh-huh. o3o**

**ICHI! What memory did Jia Li and Dimah have?**

**NI! How scared are you of Canada? How scared SHOULD you be? o3o**

**RANDOM QUESTION! What is your earliest memory? **

**YON! What do you think Alex and Sydney's and Rin's captor person's name should be?**

**GOU! Why are the lookalikes turning into their countries? **

**Yep. Those are the best I could come up with. Sorry, but I'm listening to La Pasion no se detiene. Spain is so sexy. I wish he was real. :3 Heh, and at the end Chibi Romano started singing the Delicious tomato song~~! KAWAII! *le fangirl explosion***

**Nee, nee, mite, mite~~ It's a review box~~ I know you see it~~ :3**


	11. Telepathy

**Any where~~ you go let me go too...Love me, that's all I ask of you~~~~**

**Guess who's going through a Phantom of the Opera phase?**

**ME! O3O**

**Insolent boy, this slave of fashion, basking in your glory~ Ignorant FOOL, this brave young suitor, sharing in my triumph~**

**Angel, I hear you, speak, I listen. Stay by my side; guide me. Angel, my soul was weak, forgive me, enter at last, master~~**

**X3 I. LOVE. THIS.**

**And I don't own it. So there. **

**Keep your hand at the level of you eye!**

**I've had 'Angel of Music' stuck in my head. ALL. DAY. And just the blonde chick's part. I think her name's Meg. Maybe...You know, Madame Cherie's daughter. "Where in the world have you been hiding? Really, you were perfect! I only wish I knew your secret: Who is your great tutor?" Then later... "Christine, you must have been dreaming, stories like this can't come true. Christine, you're talking in riddles, and it's not like you~~" **

**All.**

**Day.**

**But it's okay because I LURVE this song. :3**

***slaps self* Shutting up now. **

**COOKIES. *Cookies for nekoNamine, InsanityAintOptional, caset290, Kitana Lunara, fireflame1801, Tanglepelt, CelticGirl7, and MysticDayze* I THINK I did them right this time...Baking powder is the same as baking soda, isn't it? XD **

**Ooh, seriously fluffy chapter coming up. Dimah/Lauren. :3 It's so cute and fun to write! X3**

**Sing once again with me, our strange duet. My power over you grows stronger yet. And though you look away, to glance behind, the PHA~~~ntom of the opera is here...inside your mind...**

**...:3 **

Issa's POV

"Your- your eyes..." Lauren says, coming closer. "What...?" I ask. I'm not sure if I want to know the answer or not...She tells me anyways.

"They were...they are...purple..."

My first reaction is my hand slapping the side of my face, poking me in my right eye. "Ow!" I say, jerking my hand away. "Seriously?" I mumble. "France, let me see your mirror." France blushes and withdraws a small mirror from his pocket. "How did you know I carry one?"

"You're you. You like to look at yourself," I smirk as I take it. Peering over at the reflective metal, the first thing that I notice is the vibrant shade of amethyst that my irises are. The eyelids around them widen. "...Whoa..." I squeeze my eyes shut as I accidentally poke them again. "That...is...freaky..."

I look up at Canada after passing the mirror back to its owner. "...I think everyone should be afraid of you," I inform him. "You're kinda scary." Canada decides to take this as a compliment, and he laughs. "Thanks, I guess."

America opens the door, carrying a struggling Alina and leading an extremely confused-looking Vera. "Hey, she- she's..." He doesn't need to explain. As soon as Alina sees Dimah, she punches America in the face and runs over to him. "Brother brother brother brother~~ Let's become one~~" she says in a voice that's not hers. Alina stops short when she sees Lauren holding his hand. Murder is written on the young girl's face. "Get. Away. From. My. Brother," she snarls in perfect Japanese. Then she pounces at her.

But America catches her around the middle and drops her on an empty cot. Alina screams in Russian and Belarusian while America ties her down. Then, a pale-faced Iggy bravely starts trying to calm her. Slowly, she stops thrashing and sits there with a puzzled look on her face. "...I didn't do it," she says. "Something- something- took over me..." All the lookalikes in the room nod sympathetically.

Vera shakily backs into a corner. She puts her hands over her ears and mumbles to herself in Japanese. "I'm hearing things...I can't actually understand them...I'm still speaking Russian...Not happening...this is...not...happening..." She slows to a stop when she sees most of the room looking at her (Dimah was making sure Alina didn't hurt Lauren). "...Hi..." she says breathlessly. "Hello, my dear," England says softly, smiling politely. "It's not real, right?" Vera asks Dimah. Dimah stops alternately between Kol-ing at random people in the room and talking to Lauren, and he looks at his big sister sadly. "It is odd, isn't it?"

Vera nearly faints at the sound of his voice. Then, a dreamy look goes over her face. Then she bursts into tears. "My boss said I can't see you anymore, Russia-chan~!" she cries out. She tries to bound out of the door, but Prussia leans against it. Vera freezes, then goes limp. Dimah and Alina both black out in sync with her as their linked flashback starts. Prussia caught Vera before she hit the floor, and America helps him put her on a cot. England binds her wrists to the bed. "Necessary precaution..." he mutters to himself.

I look over at Zack, who just woke up from another memory. He has his hair over his eyes and is staring at his knee. "You okay...?" I ask softly. He jumps when he hears me. I have to strain to hear his next words. "...Nine-eleven..."

...Oh...

He continues in a constricted whisper. "There were so many...so many people dead...not all mine...most of everyone's citizens were killed, too...Wh-why...? They- they were murdered. Killed in cold blood. Wh- why couldn't I have stopped the planes?...Some hero I am..." Zack's mouth contorts into a furious snarl. "Freaking cowards..." he growls. He flexes his wrist so quickly and forcefully that the rope breaks.

When the small _snap_ resounds around the room, Zack's rage-filled grimace slips off. He stares at his freed hand, but makes no move to untie his other one. He only wipes at his eyes. "Gah..." he mumbles. "Stupid realistic flashbacks..."

He looks at America, who is busy bothering England. "I feel like I'm invading his privacy..." he says. I nod, glancing at Canada, who is awkwardly trying to stop them from arguing. "Remember the York flashback?" I ask. Zack nods. "I felt...powerful. And really, really mad. I- Canada tried to kill you- America without even thinking about it. He has a lot more power than everyone thinks he does. He should be recognized more." Zack laughs. "Yeah. By the way, that kind of hurt a little." If my hands weren't tied, I would've raised them in a gesture of surrender. "That was not my doing," I laugh. "I told you Canada's awesome."

Cue Prussia.

"Not as awesome as me!" he calls from across the room. "Whatever you say," I tease back. He, in answer, sticks his tongue out at me. I do the same. Something about this must trigger another memory, because I slump back.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_"Hey, Canada!" an obnoxiously loud voice called to me. I looked up from petting a trembling polar bear cub I rescued to see Prussia leaning against the doorframe with a baby bird on his head. The bird had beady black eyes and one little yellow feather on the top of its head. "Look what I found," Prussia said, drawing more attention to the chick. I smiled. "It's cute," I said. "Look what I found." I looked down to the cub, who slowly noticed the silence in the room and looked up. "Wh-who are you?" it asked. "I'm Canada," I told him. "Who are you?" The cub sniffled and sneezed before answering. "I'm Kumajirou," he said. _

_Prussia sat next to me without me noticing, and his voice made me jump. "It talks," he said simply. "Of course I talk," Mr. Kumajirou answered. "You talk. He talks. Who are you again?" The little bear looked back at me in confusion. "Canada," I reminded him. "Awesome point," Prussia said, nodding approvingly. Prussia put the chick on his hand and held it out in an invitation for me to pet it. "Name's Gilbird," Prussia said as I gently stroked the single feather. Gilbird pecked me on the finger. _

_"Ow," I muttered, withdrawing my hand. "That means he likes you," Prussia said with his pointy-toothed grin. "He's awesome," he continued. "But not as awesome as me." _

_I didn't know what to say to this, so I just smiled and continued calming Mr. Kumajirou. "You're kinda like a bird," he told me. I raised an eyebrow. "In what way?" Prussia held out Gilbird again. "Look," he said. "Gilbird is all small and shy." To prove his point, he started to close his fist around the baby bird. Gilbird chirped in protest and started worriedly pecking at his fingers. "But he can be awesome if he's pressed to it. Not to mention he's awesomely adorable." _

_I blush. _

_"But not as awesomely adorable as me," he said. "I mean, seriously, look at me! Have you ever seen someone as awesome as me before?" I laugh quietly and shake my head. "Whatever you say." He sticks his tongue out at me. Mr. Kumagitchi sticks out a little pink tongue out at the albino, as do I. _

XXXXXXXXXXX

I wake up. Looking around, I see Josh and Jia Li seem to have the same memory. Opium War, maybe? Dimah is awake, though half-asleep. Harvey, Zack, Vera, and Alina are asleep, judging by the lack of thrashing and screaming. Prussia is gone, America looks too tired to bug England, Canada is passed out, and England is wide awake, messing with his magic stuff and checking to make sure nobody is going to freak and try to kill another lookalike.

I look at Lauren, who is perched on a chair next to Dimah. Lauren's hair is not shiny like it usually is, and she looks nothing short of exhausted. "Guys..." she says. "I think I'mma go take a nap..." She looks like she needs it, too.

"Okay..." I mumble. She kisses Dimah on the cheek and ruffles my hair as she walks past. In my state of semi-consciousness, I frown. "Hey!" I say in slight irritation. "Why'd you do that?"

"What?" she asks, rubbing her eye. "Rub my head!" I say, shaking hair out of my eyes. "...I don't know. It's been a force of habit in the past few days..." she says. I take in a loud and sleepy breath. "Oh," I say. She walks out of the door.

I raise my head and look at England. "What are you doing?" I ask. He jumps, spilling some sort of powder on the floor. "Oh," he says while sweeping it up with his hand. "I'm, uh, making a potion that will hopefully reverse whatever's happening. It's not right, and I can tell something bad will come from it."

"Doesn't Norway know magic?" I ask. "And Romania?" England glowers at the worn-out book in his hand. "So they say. I'm not going to them unless it's an absolute last resort," he says. "Whatever you say," I tell him, lying back down.

My eyes are almost closed when the door bursts open. Startled, I jerk my head up. "Where is he!" Belarus shrieks.

...Crap.

...We're screwed.

Ukraine has her arms around Belarus's waist, desperately trying to pull her out of the room. "Bela, people are sleeping!" she sobs. England stands up. I notice him shaking. "Belarus, Russia isn't here," he says in a voice that sounds braver than he looks. I glance at Dimah. He looks terrified. He looks at me in desperation. _Pretend you're asleep_, I mouth to him. He nods and goes limp, violet eyes shutting.

Belarus is finally cools down to the level of grouchiness, but her insane-little-sister mode fires up again as she sees Dimah. "You tied him up!" she screeches at England, raising a dagger to England's neck. Dimah twitches in his 'sleep'. "That's not Russia," England says. "What do you mean that's not Russia!" she asks shrilly. "If you calm down and lower your weapon I'll explain," England says. Belarus glares at him, and slowly slips the knife back in her sleeve. England brings two chairs for her and Ukraine, but only Ukraine sits.

England explains about the lookalikes. Bela keeps her arms crossed tightly, and her expression of boredom never slips once. Ukraine asks the occasional question. "Why did Germany take them in the first place?" she asks. England hesitates, and I answer. "He knew," I say. "He knew we were going to turn into the countries. I guess he wanted your land for his new empire. It's like the Soviet Union, I guess. Or having colonies," I explain.

Alina raises her head. She and Belarus make eye contact. Meekly, Alina mumbles, "Hello..." The mulish gleam in Bela's eyes melts for a second. "You're my lookalike," she says. "I guess so," Alina replies. Belarus scans the rest of the room, looking at the doppelgangers. I notice she pauses over Dimah, who is still feigning sleep like his life depends on it.

It probably does; you'll never know what Bela is thinking.

Without warning, I black out for another one of Canada's memories.

XXXXXXXXXXX

_To put it simply, I was being squished._

_"U-uh, Mr. R-Russia, you're h-hurting m-me...!" I squeaked from under the giant mass of Russian. "Did you hear something?" he asked China. "Pay attention, aru," China simply answered. Germany was lecturing everyone about global warming again._

_And..._

_Cue America._

_"Ha! Why don't we just genetically engineer a super hero to protect the earth! We'll call him Super Hero Global Man!" America said, jumping up on the meeting table and striking a heroic pose. _

_Again, I tried to gain Russia's attention. "R-Russia," I said. "You're sitting on me..." _

_He looked at me. "Oh, hello, Matvey~!" he chirped. "How long have you been there?" _

_"Th wh-whole time," I stuttered. "S-so, would you p-please get off of me?" _

_"Ah...nyet. You are very comfortable, da?" Russia answered cheerfully. "B-but you're squishing me a little!" I weakly protested. _

_"A little?" Russia repeated. "If I am squishing you a little, then you are not yet flat," he points out. "A lot!" I gasped. "You're squishing me a lot!" _

_"Hm...Okay then," Russia said. He stood. I immediately scampered away. I looked around. All the other chairs were full. I sighed and sat on the floor against the wall. Were all the meetings going to happen this way? _

XXXXXXXXXX

When I wake up, Belarus and Ukraine are gone, and England is passed out on the floor, using his spell book as a pillow. I don't think anyone is awake but me. I can almost feel Russia still sitting on me...! I look at my stomach, just to make sure he's not, and I see a brown kitty is nuzzling my shirt affectionately. "Hey, Russiacat," I say, still half-asleep. "When did you get here...?" Upon seeing me awake, Russiacat starts licking my face with his scratchy cat-tongue. I giggle weakly, and Russiacat curls up in a ball next to my neck, occasionally batting his paw at the chain of my necklace.

XXXXXXXXX

When I wake up again, I hear panicked voices. I'd say it's three in the morning. "What. Do you mean. She's gone," England asks in a low and ferocious tone. Prussia says, "I mean she left! She left a note, too! Here, look!" Across the dimly lit room, Prussia thrusts a paper at England. I notice Dimah, Harvey, Jia Li, and Josh sitting up, and I do, too.

England's face remains emotionless while he's reading it. Then he slaps a hand to his forehead. "'Just a casualty'...! What were you _thinking!_" he says in shock. Is he repeating what he read? "What's going on?" I ask. Prussia and England hesitate. "...Nothing," Prussia answers. I've often seen Lauren glaring at people when she thinks they're lying, so I put as much anger as I can into my eyes. They don't crack. They both, however, shift uncomfortably; I guess they're not used to seeing my eyes this color. "Who's just a casualty?" I ask.

"...Lauren..." England finally answers.

"...What?" I ask. "Casualty means dead, right?" I ask, trying without success to ebb the flow of horror dripping into my voice. England, in answer, reads the note.

"'To whom it may concern. So, I have recently had an epiphany regarding the fact that I am worthless now...'" A small noise of protest escapes me, but England reads on. "'Even though I saved Issa once and Arthur once, that's all I seem to be able to do. I'm going to prove my worth and attempt to save Russia. It's foolish, but I feel like I need to do it. If I end up dead, I'm just a casualty. Be careful.'" Here, England turns to Dimah, who is listening intently, a look of worry plastered on his face. Instead of reading the note, he says, "She loves you..."

England fold the note and stows it in his pocket. "...and that's it..." Prussia pipes up. "No, there was a P.S." England looks at it again. "'I took the Union Jack bracelet so if you want it, there's a bit of visual surveillance.'"

Dimah and I respond to this at the same time. "Let me go," we say in unison. England looks sad. "I- I can't. We can't lose you two. You must stay here." It looks like he regrets it with all his life.

"England, let me go," I say, fighting to keep my voice level. Dimah seems strong enough to break the ropes, but I'm sure not. "England, I need- I need to go after her. She- she has the bracelet, he's sure to recognize it. Please, untie me." England shakes his head again. "I can't. You can't go after her. Nor you," he adds to a struggling Dimah.

"I need to get her back, I need to make sure she's safe," Dimah says, panic in his voice. "I can't lose her. I can't!" England takes a shaky breath. "N-nor I..." he admits. "B-but neither of you, any of you," he adds to the conscious lookalikes, "can go get her. You all need to stay h-here..."

"B-but-...!" Dimah weakly protests, still fighting to break the ropes. Shock seems to have weakened him. "The camera," I say determinedly. "England, she has the camera!" I start to struggle. I'm nowhere near strong enough. "P-please...!" Only later did I realize that tears came at that moment.

"Wh-what if you have another memory take over?" England asks. "Then it happens, you can just tie me to a chair in there, okay?" I ask, twisting my hands back and forth in a fruitless effort to try to escape. Finally, he agrees.

I rub my wrists and sprint down the hallway; Dimah easily outstrips me in his terror. England runs behind us. When we get to the computer room, I nervously rock on the balls of my feet while England turns on the camera. The quality is easily worse than before.

When it finally focuses, I see red. Lauren seems to collapse, and a scream emits from the speakers. I stand there, trembling and in hysterics. Dimah is up close to the screen, panting as if he's just run a mile. His fingers clench and unclench.

Out of what seems to us like nowhere, Lauren shrieks, "NO, YOU BLOODY CAT!" She sobs for a second while Teacup, I guess, answers. "H-how...?" she asks. Quiet footsteps mingle with Lauren's gasps. Teacup's answer is quick. "No, you bloody- nngh!" Lauren's refusal is cut short, and the camera twitches into a blur.

"NO!" she shouts. She doesn't say anything for a long time. "You've never given me any reason to trust yo- AGH!" I find myself next to Dimah, England's hand comfortingly on my back. The camera shakes for a long time, and Lauren screams again. B-but...it's only half her voice, if that makes any sense. I can't really explain it. It's like someone else screamed at the same time.

"So, do you feel like talking yet?" Germany asks. I can _hear_ the smirk in his voice. Make me wanna kick it off. Along with a few teeth. "Shut up, potato ***beep***. I have nothing to say to you," Lauren and someone else say at the same time.

Is...is Teacup...talking through her?

"Who is that?" Dimah pants. "Teacup," I say, my voice shaky. "Her demon. She l-let him take over. She _let_ him."

"...Maybe torture wasn't the way to get you to talk..." Germany muses, thinking aloud. "You think, stupid Nazi?" Lauren and Teacup chorus. Quiet...Then, Germany is yelling in pain. "GET BACK HERE!" he shouts as the camera is insanely blurry. They're running. Dimah mumbles "Run, go...!" over and over under his breath.

I'm pretty sure they jump down an entire flight of stairs, and they're outside when only Teacup's voice shouts, "I know that!" The camera is whirled around, and I see the green of Germany's outfit. Then he roars, and Lauren and Teacup are off again. I don't think Germany follows.

Lauren finds a train station and buys a ticket. The look on the ticket-seller-person's face is priceless, but Lauren must be in really bad condition. I find myself chewing on my nails, but I don't care. Lauren gets on a train, finds an empty compartment, and lays on the floor. Lauren's face come's into view; her hand is level with her face. Then the camera doesn't move for a long time. Lauren's face seems okay, although lightly scratched on a few places. There's a shallow cut on her neck, right next to the deep one she made. She lost her scarf. But her brass locket that she produced out of nowhere is okay. For a minute, I was afraid she died, right there on the floor of a train, but I see her nostrils flare with every breath.

"...Alright..." England says. I notice him wiping tears from his own face. "...Back to the infirmary..." I nod meekly and follow him, but Dimah stands next to the computer. "C-can I stay?" he asks quietly. "Th-that's not such a good idea..." England says. Dimah looks back at Lauren's peacefully sleeping face, sighs, and nods. Before he leaves, he runs his finger over the monitor where Lauren's cheek would be.

When we get back to the infirmary, I bury my face in my pillow, trying to hide my sobs from Josh, who is conscious. Russiacat bats at my hair, and I twitch my head to try to get him to stop. But he noses his way under my arm and in the crook of my neck. His fur tickles. Russiacat licks my neck, mewling a bit in my ear. "...Silly cat..." I mumble, too softly for anyone but Russiacat to hear. He presses his kitty-nose behind my ear.

I feel myself start to drift off into another memory. "No..." I say firmly to myself. _I am _going _to stay awake. I am _going_ to help_ _Lauren when she gets back,_ I think. I lift my arm when Russiacat squirms, and he hops on my head, which is still buried in the fluffy-ness of the pillow. He starts chewing on my hair. Still, as I grit my teeth and fight off the memory, I see a few parts of what it was going to be flash against my closed eyelids. I can almost smell gunpowder. I see a few tan horses. And snow. Lots and lots of snow. There is an echoing of dying men's screams in my ears. I'm glad I'm trying hard to fight off this one...

"Issa..." I hear a voice say softly. I peek out to see Renae and Mom. Without a second thought, I spring up and wrap both of them in my arms. I still have to remind myself to speak English. "Wh-what are you doing up this late?" I ask. Both of them frown in confusion. "We couldn't sleep...I thought there was some weird magic-science thing keeping you from speaking English...?" Mom says. "There was. But, something's happened, and now I can speak French as well as English and Japanese," I tell them, smiling even though all I want to do is cry. "Well, what happened?" I shake my head. "Beats me. I think I'm...I think I'm turning into a personification of Canada," I say.

They're silent for a minute. Then Renae says, "You have cat spit in your hair." I laugh and look down at an innocent-looking Russiacat. "Thanks a lot," I tease, ruffling his fur. "You're turning into a personification of Canada?" Mom asks, raising an eyebrow. "What's going to happen to the other guy?" I shake my head again. "I have no idea the specifics. All I know is I'm getting flashbacks of the other Canada's memories. So...Am I Canadian in any way?"

Mom laughs a little. "I guess I forgot to tell you. Or maybe I told you a long time ago and you forgot. Your dad was Canadian. He got American citizenship before we were married," she says. I grin.

It is at that moment that Canada walks in, looking for Kumajirou again. "Hey, Mattie," I say. He looks at me. "We're related." He smiles, and continues his quest. I look back at Mom. "I think it's sweet that you still use Dad's last name instead of your maiden name," I tell her. She smiles sadly. "You know, you're the spitting image of him. When you had to leave, it was like he died again," she says. "And then _you_ left," she says while petting Renae's hair. "and it was so unbearable that I had to go looking for you. My boss gave me time off because I took it as vacation time. So this is your vacation. Having fun yet?" I laugh at her joke. Unable to answer, I hug her again. A few seconds later, I pull Renae in the hug, as well.

Renae's stalker-dog jumps on the bed and licks her hand. "This is Kaiteki," she says, depositing him on my lap. "Comfort," I translate as he puts his paws on my shoulder and attempts to lick my face off. When that fails, he attacks Mom with doggie kisses. Then, after Mom pushes him away, he jumps on Renae. "Such a high-strung doggie," I say, scratching his head. "You think Oz will like him?" Mom asks. "You mean we're going to keep him?" Renae asks. I can see she didn't expect this, and she is overjoyed. "Of course!" Mom exclaims. "He was loyal enough to follow you across two countries, so, why not? He might just stow away on a plane to America if we don't!"

"Where is Oz?" I ask. I miss the little ball of brown and white fur more than words. "Mrs. Davies volunteered to watch him. Your mom?" she adds to Josh. "What?" he asks. it looks like he was about to fall asleep. "Oh. My mom. Yeah." He sits up. "Uh...why are you...?" Mom asks once she sees the rope. "The flashbacks just kind of possess us," Josh explains. "We don't know what we're doing when we're experiencing one." I nod. "In one, Canada was mad at America, and I guess I started strangling the America lookalike," I say. When Mom looks horrified, I hastily add, "I didn't mean to, it's just Canada was doing it in the memory, and I thought I was Canada...so...Yeah..."

Renae suddenly gasps. "You eyes are purple!" she exclaims. "Yeah. They changed," I say. "Like them?" I joke, batting my eyelashes at her. Renae laughs. "It's very unique," she says. "Dimah's eyes are naturally violet," I say, pointing at him. Dimah is leaning against the wall with his back to us, breathing unsteadily. "...Is he okay?" Renae asks. "It's stressful for him," I say. "Well...You know Lauren? Lauren Cohen?" I ask. They nod. "Well...The real Russia is with Germany, and he's most likely being tortured. Lauren...decided to go try to free him by herself..." I say, bowing my head. "I think she was tortured, too...but she's on her way back now...I hope..." I brush away a few tears and finish. "She's Dimah's girlfriend," I say.

Renae takes my hand and strokes it. Kaiteki, true to his name, tries to lick my face again. Mom puts her arm around my shoulders. "I think England considered her as his daughter, with her being his citizen, and all," I say, watching England pace back and forth in the hallway. He's muttering to himself, his hands jammed firmly in his pockets. I can almost see the little purple depression marks around him.

_What's England doing...?_

I jump violently. "Who said that?" I demand, whipping my head around. Everyone conscious gives me a weird look. "Who said what, sweetie?" Mom asks. In the hall, Canada asks, "England, are you okay?" Now it's Josh's turn to jump. "What the heck...?" he asks. "What? Oh, yes, Canada. I'm fine, just worrying..." England says, resuming his pacing.

_Poor England...Lauren's like his daughter..._

"Okay, seriously, what's going on?" I ask. There's a voice in my head, and it's not mine. It's really quiet, but I can still hear it. I sit with my ear cocked towards the ceiling for a few minutes, and when I don't hear anything, I shrug. _That was weird..._ I think.

Canada pokes his head in. "What's weird?" he asks me. My eyes widen. "Oh...my...gosh..."

_Canada..._I think_...we're reading each other's minds... _

Canada jumps. _What the maple!_he thinks. "...What's happening?" Mom asks me. "I don't think you want to know," I tell her. "Yes I do," she says. "..I don't think I can explain..." I say. _Man, _ I think, _I thought I was invading your privacy by seeing your memories, but this blows that away._

_Yeah, no kidding! This is really wrong, Issa, I don't know what's happening..._

_Me neither. It's scaring me a little..._

England pokes his head in and points at Josh. "...You're in my head," he accuses. Josh gives a half-hysterical laugh. "You're in mine!" England pinches the bridge of his nose and paces faster. After a few seconds, Josh exclaims out loud, "Dude, just speak English!" England glares at him for a second. "I _am_! How do you not understand the quantum theorium of-"

"I don't even know what a quantum whatchamacallit is!" Josh says in exasperation. "What the bloody- how are _you my_ lookalike! Are you even British at _all?" _ England snaps. "Yeah, I was born in London, and both my parents were British citizens until they immigrated!" Josh says. "And I'm not happy being your lookalike, either!"

They seem to have a very long and angry conversation through their minds.

_...Should we step in...?_ Canada thinks.

_No, they should work this out for themselves..._I think back.

_Alright, if you say so..._ Canada thinks. _It's kind of nice...the angry tension..._ I don't think that last part was intentional for me to hear. ...do I even hear it? I don't think I hear his voice. It's more like his voice is just...there. It's just there, and I know what he's thinking...if that makes sense, which it doesn't to me.

_...You're a purebred yandre at heart..._ I tell him. ..._A very scary one. And nobody noticed this but me?_

Canada laughs. _I guess not. I have to watch what I think around you._

_You'd better._

"...Is that what's happening? You can read minds?" Mom asks. "Only Mattie's," I say. She doesn't say anything. "What's he thinking right now?" Renae whispers to me. "...Where's Mr. Kumaguy, what the maple is happening, how's Lauren doing, and I want maple syrup, all at the same time," I tell her in a whisper.

_Hey...!_

_Oh, come on. Not like it's a secret. _An evil thought suddenly occurs to me. _Hey...now you can't keep secrets from me. Ha ha ha. _

_...Great..._ Canada sighs. _But this means I can stop you if you ever want to try to single-handedly take down Germany again. Ha ha ha. _

_...*sigh*..._

Kumawhatever ambles in the open door. "Rawr. I'm hungry," he says. "Is that a polar bear?" Renae asks eagerly. "You know, when polar bears are on this ice, they lay down to keep from falling through!" While Canada talks to him and Renae relinquishes a few more little-known facts about polar bears, I kinda let my mind wander a bit.

_You know, your mind changes direction so fast, it's beyond me how you're staying still,_Canada tells me. _Just knowing what you're thinking makes me hyper._

I laugh. _I have an over-active imagination. Get used to it. _

A sudden darkness takes over my mind. 'Dark' is the only word I can describe it with. It's like a combination of sadness and anger. It all just comes back to...dark... Kumableep seems to sense it, because he buries his face in Canada's shirt and trembles. Kaiteki stands up and growls at me and Canada, and the air; he's just spazzing out in a frenzy of doggie-overprotectivness.

_**Excellent. It's like a party,**_ someone says.

_What's that?_Canada asks. I can feel his rising panic. I groan and rub my temples. _Not you. Go away, get out of my head. _

_**Like you can make me. **_

_Why are you here?_ I ask the voice. Canada starts to think something, but I think directly to him, _Stay out of this._

_**Oh, I think you know why I'm here, darling. **_

_No, I don't. Just leave me alone and go hijack a spider's mind, or something._

_**I'm visiting a friend. He should be here soon. **_

_...a friend..._ I repeat.

_**How stupid are you? That's what I just said!**_

_Hey, don't talk to Issa like-_Canada starts.

_**For once, my human is right. Stay out of this, country. Let the little brat fight her own fights.**_

_But-_

_Please, Canada, _ I think, giving him a look of desperation. He frowns, but stops talking to my demon. In the back of my mind, he's thinking, _I don't like this. I don't like this at all._

_**Anyways, I'm just popping in now to say hello. We're going to learn a lot more about each other. Won't that be fun? **_

_Get. The crap. Out. Of. My. Head. _ I think angrily.

_**Hm...No thanks, hon. We're roomies now. Get used to it. **_

_Why can you talk to me now?_

_**Because I want to. If I had it my way, I'd use your body to wring the necks of every idiot in here...but this will have to do. We can talk easier, too, instead of waiting for you to sleep. Isn't that great?**_

_No, it is not great! _ I shriek at her. _Get away, go possess someone else! _I have a sudden vision. It's not like a blackout, because I can still see everything around me. Yami stands there, and Canada is there next to me. I grab his imaginary hand, glad for some comfort. I can see the real Canada jump, and Kumajiji jumps from his arms and hides under Dimah's bed. Dimah peers curiously at the bear, but doesn't move much more than that.

_She looks like you..._ Canada muses. _Yeah, I think she is me, _ I answer.

Yami smirks. _**How cute. He's like the father you've never had. **_

_Sh-shut up. _I didn't know my thoughts could stutter. Huh.

Today, Yami wears black combat boots and black skinny jeans. Her shirt is half-long-sleeved and half-tank top. Meaning, her right sleeve reaches her wrist, and her left sleeve is just a band on her shoulder, which is shiny red and burned like mine. I'll give you one guess on the color (coughblackcough). Like always, she's wearing a ton of make-up. I don't look any higher than her nose, which is slightly up-turned, but her hair is loose around her shoulder. I don't think Canada was ready for the pure black eyes, because he jumps and grasps my imaginary hand tighter.

_**This is just a heads-up. You'll be hearing a lot more from me**_, she says, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

_Thanks, I guess, _I think, rolling my eyes. _If you came to be polite, the least you can do is leave my mind alone._

_**Funny,**_ Yami says in a way that suggests she thinks that was the opposite. _**See you later, twerp.**_

And as suddenly as the vision started, it ends. "What was _that_!" Canada exclaims. Not wanting to make Mom and Renae worry even more, I answer in our heads.

_Her name's Yami. She's me, but not. _

_She's you...but she's not you..._

_Yes. She's every bad thing I've ever thought, morphed into a demon. _

_...That's not cool..._

_Yeah. No kidding._

From somewhere down the hall, China cries "Aiyaa!" Canada curiously begins to walk down that direction. _What is it?_ I ask. He doesn't answer me directly, but he's thinking, _Oh, no, Lauren, please don't be dead...that's a lot of blood..._ Then he starts thinking about how much blood a human body can hold and estimating how much blood Lauren has lost.

I stand up and fly out the door, but Prussia stands in my way. "Let me through," I say. My voice shakes. "The Awesome Me was told not to do that. I'm sorry. England said something about you and the Russian dude panicking. Sorry," he says. I glare at him. "Prussia. Back. Off."

"I'm sorry! England said he'd do some magic voo-doo or whatever on me if I didn't!" Prussia says. He looks genuinely apologetic. But he's still in my way. "I'll be nice to you. One more chance before I get Dimah. And I'm sure said Russian will _not_ appreciate being away from his girlfriend any longer than necessary. Back. Off."

Prussia doesn't answer. I start backing toward the infirmary, ready to call for Dimah. Then Prussia moves aside. Completely losing my angry side, I grin and hug him. "Thank you!" Before he can do more than breathe once, I run down the hall.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sight.

Lauren is laying on a sheet that someone brought in order to keep blood off Austria's fancy carpet, which would cause said stuck-up to blow his top. Her black shirt is mangled, but covers what needs to be covered. Her worst injury seems to be a stab mark in her shoulder. But she still has a lot of cuts on her, varying in length and deepness. She's lying on her side, because she has gashes on her back, as well. Long, straight gashes that have no particular pattern: whip marks.

My gasp draws the attention of England, who is sanitizing her wounds. His expression is comical when he sees me, but I don't care. I clear my face of all emotion and sit next to him, grabbing a rag from a bowl full of a concoction that China made, and I begin wiping it on Lauren's back. She flinches, but doesn't move much more than that. I guess it stings a little.

_Issa, we've got this, you need to go back and rest._

_You had better shut up and leave me alone,_ I warn him. _I am not in a good mood and will snap if pushed any farther. This is for your sake, and everyone else's around here. _

Canada stops thinking to me.

England doesn't approve of my presence, but he keeps his mouth shut. I guess as long as I'm (appearing) calm, I can stay; he did anticipate a big fuss coming from me and/or Dimah.

Dimah comes. His footfalls are slow and hesitant, but they speed up to a jog, and he's there on Lauren's other side. Tears are slowly dripping down his face, but he doesn't seem to care. He puts his hand next to Lauren's mouth, and when he feels her breath, he seems to relax slightly. He gently takes her hand and wipes a trickle of blood from her mouth. Dimah bends over and puts his face next to her's, his breathing slightly increasing in a sob. None of the countries in the room (England, Canada, China, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein) seem to have the heart to make him leave.

Spain comes in, accompanied by a grumpy Romano. _Please leave. You two are annoying,_ Canada thinks. It's probably a good thing that he kept that in his head, but I still shoot a look at him. Spain gasps. "What happened to _segnora_ Lauren?" he exclaims. "Go away," England snaps. "But we want to help! Right, Lovi~?" Romano tugs on his sleeve. "...No. Too many helpers do more bad than good. C'mon," he says, half-dragging Spain out of the room. "Thanks, Romano, aru," China calls over his shoulder. Romano's reply is faint. "Shut up..."

_Romano's so tsundre, _ I think absently.

_S-so, if I'm yandre, which is like evil, then what does tsundre mean?_

_Yandre means cute and childish, yet completely evil. Tsundre means tough on the outside, but a big marshmallow on the inside. Like England,_ I tell him as I finish sterilizing Lauren's whip marks and sit back, hugging my knees to my chest. England pats me on my shoulder, and I slap at his hand; the burn still hurts.

_Oh, okay. That makes sense. So Russia's a yandre?_

_Yeah._

"Where should we put her?" Switzerland asks. "The infirmary is full." He shoots a look at Dimah and I, but we both shoot one right back. Before anyone else can say anything, Dimah wraps the sheet around Lauren's limp form and picks her up bridal-style, making sure to support her head. He starts walking down the hall. "Hey, wait!" England calls. Dimah doesn't stop.

There's something about the way he's walking that makes everyone shy away. I wonder why, then I feel the scary aura around him.

Yep. He's Russia's lookalike.

We follow Dimah back to the hospital room. He walks over to his corner of the room, gently and tenderly places Lauren on his bed, and then lays down next to her. He puts his arm around her, and his message is clear: _Anyone who tries to take her away has to go through me._

_That's so romantic...! _my mind squeals.

Canada's still thinking about the yandre/tsundre thing, and he starts labeling everyone either yandre or tsundre. _Dimah's a yandre..._ he thinks. I send him a mental picture of me facepalming to show him how I feel. He glares at me, then laughs a little.

England tentatively approaches Dimah. "She still needs stitches..." he says. Reluctantly, he moves Lauren on his lap, elevating her head. England sews up her shoulder, and a few of the deeper cuts. Then they work together to shove Lauren's arms through the sleeves of a hospital gown. Dimah sits up against the wall; Lauren is leaning against his chest, and Dimah has his arms wrapped protectively around her waist.

_Aww..._

_I think Lauren might be a yandre, too..._

_Will you shut up about that? _

Canada sends me a mental picture of him sticking his tongue out at me. I turn around and do just that.

Lauren starts to stir. She whimpers, and Dimah whispers to her, "It's okay, I've got you, I'm here..."

_**Finally,**_ Yami says. _**He's here. Took him a while.**_

_You're talking about Teacup?_

_**Who else, retard? **_

Lauren's eyes open. Dimah flinches. I move closer to see why.

One of her irises are red.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Rin's POV

Both of them are silent. Japan, I would expect this. But Germania is just angry about him being here. I'm not too happy with his presence, either, but I suck it up. He doesn't know where he is any more than I do. I have already made it crystal-clear: as soon as we find civilization, this alliance is over.

We've been walking around in circles for hours. Towards the beginning, Germania was muttering complaints about Japan and threats to Japan, but he's quiet now. I've just been worrying in silence longer than either of them. Where are Alex and Sydney? Are they okay? How are they doing?

They're most likely not doing well. Mr. Whatever took them. He's probably punishing them right now for running away. Maybe torturing them to find out where I am. The thought sends a shiver up my spine that has nothing to do with either of the country's presence.

I look up at the sky, through a small clearing in the foliage. The night stars twinkle and dance, challenging the mood of our group. Behind me, Japan stops. "We should stop for the night," he suggests. I nod and climb the nearest tree, going as high as I dare. I wrap my scarf around me and tie it to the trunk, securing me for the night.

It's more comfortable than sleeping in the snow.

About twenty feet below me, Japan is leaning against the trunk in a fork of two branches. Germania is ten feet below him on the ground, sitting with his spear in his hand. He seems to want to be the first guard.

The calamity of the day overwhelms me. I blink my eyes, fighting off tears. I am _not_ going to cry. To keep my mind off it, I remove my glove and scrape the back of my hand against the rough bark. It stings, and it's not enough to stop a thin flow of tears to spill from my eyes. I hold my breath to keep myself from sobbing.

Soon, there is a steady stream of blood dripping from my hand. Immediately, I curse myself for doing that. I pull off my boot, remove my sock, and unsheathe my katana. I cut finger-holes in the sock and pull it over my hand. I could not do this with my glove, because that would draw attention to it. Come tomorrow morning, my bloody sock will be hidden under my boot, and my glove will hide the marks.

...I told myself I'd never do that again...

XXXXXXXX

When I wake up, it's light again. My hand stings when I untie my scarf. I replace my sock back on my foot and my glove on my hand. No one will ever know. No one but me.

I climb dangerously high and look around. No clearings. We're still lost. Over to the east, there is a valley. Maybe there's a river over there. That means, if it's thawed, we'll have water. I jump down. "That was graceful," Germania says. "Thank you," I say. "Which direction?" Japan asks politely. "East," I reply. "Alright, then."

We walk in silence. I lead, following the sun. An hour or two later, the ground starts to slope downward. Then it cliffs.

I stop at the very edge and peer over. Fifty feet down, at least. Below, the river makes a faint babbling sound; I guess it's running too fast to freeze over. On the other side of the river, there's no cliff. The forest goes all the way to the river. I duck behind a bush suddenly: there are people camping down there.

The men down there are nothing but ants from this angle. Vaguely, I see their black jackets and tan pants. They have a campfire next to a blue and white tent. Their voices echo faintly, and I can barely make it out.

"..don't know why we have to sit out here and freeze our butts off while they're inside with the little brats..." one man says. "Well, she's bound to come. Just think of how well we'll be rewarded when we get 'er," a second says.

They're talking about me.

Sydney and Alex are somewhere near.

Japan and Germania materialize next to me. "Well?" Germania asks. "I think they're the ones who took Sydney and Alex. That means they're somewhere around here," I tell him. "...And, apparently, I have a very high price resting on my head."

"That won't be a problem," Japan says. A mischievous smile plays on his lips. I frown. "What are you planning?"

His smile only widens.

XXXXXXX

Fifteen minutes later, I am positioned around the campfire.

As live bait.

I am to attempt to attack them, and let them win. Then, Germania will jump out of the bushes and attack them. They probably won't take him seriously, so Japan will step in and finish the job. Then, Japan will dress in their clothes and sneak in there, free my friends, and we'll escape.

I take a deep breath and step from the shadows. I charge, swing my sword. It is fended off with a metal rod. A few minutes of fighting, and I pretend to let them knock my sword out of my hand.

"Finally...!" one of the men grumbles. Germania charges. "Aw, look, she's got a friend!" the other coos.

That's when things go wrong.

All it takes is one bad move from Germania, and the wood falls in the fire, spreading it. For a second, everyone is frozen. Then the two men run.

The fire spreads, cornering them. It seems to have gone in a circle around us. "The river!" one man shrieks. They sprint into the river and swim across, and then they try to climb the cliff. A flaming tree falls, knocking them back into the water.

"Come on!" Germania yells, taking my hand and dragging me away. My gasp of pain is hidden by the roar of the fire. I don't know where Japan is. We run, and finally, there is a small clearing: a concrete building.

"Bad!" I yell over the noise. "Very bad!" I steer Germania back into the flames, and we dodge falling trees. More men pile out of the building with fire extinguishers, but I know it won't be enough. Once or twice my sleeves catch on fire, and I beat it out. Then my gloves seem to burst into flames, and I am forced to remove them. I stuff them in my pocket, hoping this will extinguish the flames.

Everything is burning. Red, orange, and yellow lights dance everywhere, and thick black smoke restricts breathing. Both of us are coughing violently and covered in ash. "Back to the river...!" I choke, pulling on Germania's sleeve. He nods, squinting at me through the haze, and we run.

But where is it? We've gotten lost again.

I desperately look up, hoping to see even the tiniest flash of blue sky through the cloud of black, but my wish is not granted. Desperation makes me attempt to climb, half-dragging Germania up with me. It's risky. Very, very risky. An inexperienced climber like Germania couldn't go very far if I wasn't helping him. Occasionally, I'd turn and give him strangled advice on where to put his hands and feet so he wouldn't fall.

The air slowly began to clear. Finally, we could breathe. Germania latches onto the trunk the exact moment I stop, and he clenches his eyes shut. "H-how high up are we...?" Breathing heavily, I look down. The thick layer of smoke makes it hard to tell. "I don't know," I say. All I can tell is that this has turned into a full-fledged wildfire.

A few of the men screamed a while ago. As much as they repulse me, I hope they're not dead. I don't like it when people die, no matter who they are. And yet, I would hardly mind if I died.

"We have to go back down," I say. Germania gives a shaky nod, but he doesn't move from his locked position until he hears me start the decent. I climb all the way down to make sure Germania gets down, as well.

**(my Auntie's doggeh just came and sat next to me. Then I wrote this and he walked away. NU, SCRAPPY, COME BACK! D:)**

We run again, coughing as the smoke once again invades our lungs. Out of the haze, a figure appears, and I notice it too late. I run smack into the man. "Ow! Japan!" I exclaim. Japan gets up and gives me a shove. "Come on. We've got to move," he says. Japan takes the lead. We dodge the flaming trees for a few minutes before the concrete building comes into view.

"Wh-what are we doing here?" I ask. "Don't you want to save your friends?" Japan asks over his shoulder. I grin and follow him. Inside, I draw my katana. Japan does, too, and Germania hefts his spear. No one comes. We creep down the hallway. Finally, it ends at a circular room with a door at the end. In the middle of the room, Alex is on the ground and Sydney is standing, but she looks weak. Our captor has a gun in each hand, pointed at their heads.

"No!" I shriek, lunging. Japan sticks out his arm, stopping me. "How nice of you to finally join. It is terribly rude to keep a person waiting, you know," he says, his natural Russian accent appearing. From the ground, Alex shifts and moans, "Rin, get out of here, leave us!"

"You know very well that I'm not going to do that!" I say. "Of course, it's not like you're going anywhere," Mr. Whoever says. "And you brought me two nations, excellent..." he adds, eyeing Japan and Germania. Germania snarls and lifts his spear higher. He looks funny, a small and weak boy pretending to be strong. He is, actually, strong. He's certainly picked up a few tricks in the millions of years he's existed.

I take a deep breath, trying to tame my fear. "You're going to let them go. The whole forest is burning, and if we stay here there's no chance at survival. We're going to leave," I say slowly, forcing myself to glare into his rusty-metal eyes. "And what makes you think I'm going to agree? You belong to me, Rin. Your parents sold you to me."

"He's lying," Sydney says sharply. "Don't listen to him." He presses the gun closer to her head. "Shut up," he growls. Then he continues. "You don't believe me, do you? He's your country. Why don't you ask him..." he says smoothly, nodding at Japan. I glance at him. "You- you knew my parents?" I ask, my voice breaking. He takes a deep breath. "They didn't want to. They were desperate, and they thought he was a good man. Rin, they loved you, believe me. It tore them apart to give you away. They've been saving, trying to buy you back. Don't let him get to you..."

My fingers tighten on my sword. My knuckles turn white, and I'm sure my face is, too. I can't help but be mad at my mother and father. What kind of parents would sell their daughter, no matter what the condition?

"No they didn't. You know what they said to me? They told me they were glad to be rid of you. You were never a good child, always hiding, climbing into odd places, scaring them whenever they walked past. You know what I'm talking about. You know." His eyes glint with cruel humor, mocking me further. I'm sick of him doing that. I'm sick of being afraid of him. I'm sick of him.

I want to charge at him, right then and there. I picture my sword stabbing him in the heart. But he has Sydney and Alex. I look at Sydney. With my expression, I tell her _get ready._ She nods at my silent message. I do the same for Alex. He doesn't look very strong, but he's at an advantage; his foot is on his back, and it would be easy for Alex to jump up while Sydney shoves him. He would most likely shoot a few times in panic, and we could disarm him.

Mr. Nameless, as I suddenly decide to call him, continues to taunt me, but I tune it out. I glance at Japan, and see if he can read expression. He must, because he nods. Germania takes a while, but eventually, he gets it.

I tap my foot on the ground once. It's as if I'm saying, _wait. Not yet._ A few more seconds...just let him get comfortable with his verbal abuse...and...

I nod.

All heck breaks looks.

In unison, Alex and Sydney shove him away, and then duck from the bullets. I rush forward to try to help, but they've disarmed him before I can get there. Still, I jump in the fistfight that ensues, but I use my katana, occasionally trying to stab him. And each time, he just pushes the flat of my blade away. Finally, I land a deep cut on the palm of his hand. He howls in pain, and Sydney and Alex punch him full-force at the same time. He falls to the ground, panting hard. Alex kicks him in the ribs, cussing in Italian. I raise my sword, preparing for the death blow.

But...

...I can't...

This man is the very face of men who deserve death. He deserves to be killed in a slow and painful way. But I can't even bring myself to deliver a quick death.

What good does it do to murder the murderer? Two wrongs don't make a right. They don't.

This man wouldn't hesitate to kill me and everyone I know and love. But I can't kill him.

I just can't.

So, instead, I slam my hilt on his head, effectively knocking him out. "...Rin..?" Alex asks. "Why did you..." I sigh and deliver a kick into Mr. Nameless's ribs in frustration. "I can't kill him. I know he deserves it," I add bitterly, "but I can't."

"...Alright. If it's not comfortable for you, let's just drag his sorry butt to jail," Sydney says, putting a hand on my shoulder. I turn around and hug her tightly. She yelps quietly, and I immediately release her. "What did they _do_ to you guys?" I ask. "Nothing worse than this idiot did," Alex says bravely, nudging Mr. Nameless's lifeless arm with his foot. But I can see the weariness in his eyes. I raise an eyebrow at them. Alex grins and shrugs. "Fine. Let's got out of here," I say. But I shoot them a look that says _We're going to talk about this later._

I tie up the repellant creature and stuff his head in a bag. Japan kindly offers to carry him out; we saw a few cars that weren't completely burned and maybe still usable. Germania takes a fire extinguisher, just in case. I wonder if he knows how to use it; he is quite old.

I help Sydney and Alex limp along the corridor; they're hurt more than they'll let on. Finally, we get outside. The fire's died down, and all of Mr. Nameless's men have fled. I think he'll be out for a while; I hit him pretty hard.

Japan hot-wires the car, and I pause. What if we find civilization? Then the alliance is broken, and none of us are in a strong enough state to stop him from doing whatever he wants. But I glance at my friends and their wounds. They won't be able to walk very far. And it's really cold. They can't stay in that condition in their situation.

So, for them, I put my our fate in his hands.

**o3o**

**Hi. **

**I just finished that. It took me like, four days. But I did it. :3 Twas fun.**

**ONE! What do you think about the mind-telapathy-thingy?**

**TWO! Do you consider yourself more yandre or tsundre?**

**RANDOM QUESTION! What's your favorite type of animal?**

**FOUR! Do you stick your tongue out at people when they make you irritated?**

**FIVE! What's Japan going to do? **

**Okey. Those are the questions. Deal with them. Oh, and no, I'm not skipping three, the RQ is number three, but I label it RQ. So there. :3 And my favorite animal is polar bears, and yes, I do sick my tongue out at people. :P XD**

**Oh, and I went on another car trip whilst writing this. Right around the part when Lauren came back. Writing Dimah's reaction to that was fun~ :3 **

**Anyway...**

**Pity comes too late, turn around and face your fate: an eternity with **_**this**_**! Before your eyes...**

**:3 I regret not my quoting of the Opera Phantom. :3**

**The tears I might've shed for your dark fate grow cold~ and turn to tears of hate! **

**o3o**

**All done. **

**All those who see your face draw back in fear. I am the mask you wear-**

**-it's me they hear!**

**I lied. XD **


	12. Everybody's got a dark side

**HAI GUIES. o3o **

**WHO WANTS A CUPCAKE? :D *gives cupcakes to Tabby-tan, caset290, ThePersonofAwesomeness, Tanglepelt, Hetalia-EnglandthePirate, CelticGirl7, ArtandSoul, fireflame1801, Kitana Lunara, and TheKazemaruSiblings* You can eat those, I didn't make them. England did. :3 **

**Bloooop. **

**Okay, so AFTER I posted the last chapter, I realized that I was spelling yandere and tsundere wrong. It's not yandre or tsundre, it's yandEre and tsundEre. Gomenesai.**

**Who else is bored of summer? **

**Not me. I like summer, I just want something to do. **

**HEY GUESS WHAT.**

**MY BIRTHDAY IS IN THREE DAYS. (as of right now) On July 1st. :3 I'mma be a year older. (Take that, internet pedos! XD) **

**Yeah, so...If you wanna review, that'll be your present to me. :3 **

**Okay, I'll shut up. XD**

Issa's POV

Lauren jerks awake. Dimah flinches as her eyes open.

One of her irises are red.

After that shock, Dimah smiles and gently kisses Lauren.

_Uh...What's wrong with her eyes...?_

_Be nice. It's not her fault,_ I scold Canada. He looks guilty and stops thinking to me.

Lauren is confused by the way everyone is staring at her eye, and she goes to sit up. Dimah holds her back gently and I flail around in panic. "Lauren, you can't get up!" I shriek. "You're almost dead!"

She raises her eyebrow at me as she struggles against her Russian. "I made it to the doorstep after crossing a country. I think I'll make it. You gave me stitches and all that waffle, yes?" she adds to England, who stands by the foot of the bed. He nods crossly and says, "Yeah, I did, but you can't just up and leave the infirmary after such severe torture." Lauren glares at him, and we both flinch.

_...Waffle...?_

"I'm going up to my room. I'm fine. I need to do some research," Lauren says matter-of-factly. There is an angry tone in her voice. England softens, but Dimah and Canada don't. Dimah keeps holding on to her as her thrashing increases, and Canada stands closer, in the way if she were to stand up. "N-no," he says firmly.

Lauren and Canada start a glaring contest. Finally, Lauren sighs. "Fine, then. Would you do me the favor of at least getting me a laptop with internet and some earphones, plus some paper and a pencil?" England sends America to get the things. Dimah lets go of her, and they sit side-by-side.

America comes back with all the requested objects on top of Lauren's bed. Lauren looks confused at this until America explains, "I thought sharin' a bed with your boyfriend would lead to..." He trails off, not needing to say anything else.

Lauren is irritated when France and Harvey start On-hon-hon-ing. Harvey looks sorry as he covers his mouth.

Poor guy.

Lauren stands and drops herself on the cat hair-covered blanket. "Oh, dear, that won't do!" England mumbles when he sees the cat hair. Lauren glares at him.

Russiacat jumps on her bed as she puts the earphones in and blocks out the world with music.

I sit back on my bed. All the lookalikes have been untied; when we're asleep, we can tie one of our hands to the side of the bed, just in case. All you really need is one hand tied up; when I'm experiencing the flashback, I don't usually try to untie myself and I just flail the rest of me. So far, I've seen the War of 1812, first day at England's, an afternoon with Prussia, being sat on by Russia, the French-Canadian war, playing baseball with America (I hurt for a long time after that one...), trying to get the courage to stand up to America (You know how well THAT ended...now I'm afraid of chainsaws...), and a lot more. Some are just little adorable ones, but others make me sad and give me physical scars.

I look over at Lauren. Why did she go? I know I can't stay mad at her...I promised not to attempt suicide again. It didn't take long before I broke that promise.

_You okay? You're doing quite a bit of worrying..._

_Shut up, I'm fine._

Canada sits next to me. Kumajuice jumps on my lap and asks, "Who are you?"

"I'm Issa," I respond. My hair falls in my eyes, and I don't have much patience with it. It should be long enough to put it in a ponytail now. I try to do that, but it falls out quickly. My soultion is to put it in pigtails.

_Cute._

_Thanks, I guess..._

_Alright, spill. What's wrong?_

_You know. Stress, confusion, rage, terror...All that happy crap. _

_Oh..._ Canada sighs. I scratch Mr. Kumajoke behind the ears.

_I'm tired..._I complain.

_Sleep, then._

_I don't want to. I'm afraid._

_Why are you-? Oh. Right..._Canada almost forgot my little guest.

_At least you can vouch that I'm not crazy._

_..._

I laugh. _I meant scrizronophrenic-crazy. _

_Right. That's what I thought. _

_Liar. _

Canada sighs. _You got me. _

_'Course I did,_ I smile.

On the bed next to me, Zack exclaims, "Just get out of my head, dude! You're so annoying!" America, from across the room, yells, "I would if I could, but I can't, so I shan't. Deal with it!" **(Big Bang Theory. I don't own.) **

_At least you're sane,_ I think thankfully.

_..._

_Mostly..._

Canada laughs.

_Alright..._ I declare. _I'mma sleep..._

_Alright..._

I tie my right hand to the bed and lay back, taking my glasses off and putting them to the side. I stare at my hand for a minute before closing my eyes and sleeping.

XXXXXX

When I wake up, Canada's asleep; he's dreaming about maple syrup.

I love this guy so much.

Anyway, I sit up. Lauren's bed is empty, as is Dimah's. I start to spaz out in worry when I hear England yelling. "WHY did you leave the infirmary!" he screeches, "I WAS SO BLOODY WORRIED!" I hear Lauren's voice, but's it's all muffled through the door, so I can't make out the words. Lauren opens the door and immediately is tackled by a me; we both fall to the ground.

"LAUREN!" I scream, not caring that half the people in the room jerk awake at my volume.

"ISSA!" she screams at the same level, returning my glomp.

"Y-you're all bandaged and bruised!" I say worriedly. She raises an eyebrow at me. "Ja, I was tortured. Pain was unbearable..." she trails off and looks at Mattie. "Oi, Canada, d'you feel up to making pancakes?"

_Uh, well-_

I poke her head, harder than I meant to. "Lauren! Focus!" She shakes her head. "I can't when I'm being squished by an Issa..." she grumbles. I let go of her. "Sorry!" I gasp. She rolls her eyes playfully and stands. immediately, she wobbles and falls back down. She starts grumbling again to herself as she stands sucessfully this time; Spain come in. "Hola!" he says. England glares at him. "Senorita Lauren, you're looking better~!" he chirps. Lauren giggles and glomps him. He lets out an "Oof~!" but cuddles her anyway.

Romano comes in. He eyes me warily and I grin; he rushes faster. Before much else can happen, Lauren glomps him, too. "Ch-chigi!" he shouts. I notice he doesn't pull back. Silly Roma.

She lets go and hugs Prussia. "Prussia~!" she peeps happily, as if she's never seen him before.

"Lauren sure is huggy today..." Zack observes. Lauren hugs him, too. "Hey, what about me?" America whines. He gets his hug.

No one is safe from Lauren's hugging. She hugs Canada, France (she let go very quickly as his hand traveled down...), China, and Dimah. Dimah's hug lasted longest.

Then, without warning, she lays down and falls asleep.

"...Weirrrrd..." America says. "That's Lauren for you," England says, stooping down to kiss her forehead. Most of the nations left soon after that. I look at the ceiling and sigh. "Can I leave the infirmary?" I ask England.

"Issa, you know-"

"I know, my condition's unstable. I'm bored," I whine. "I've practically memorized this room."

"Oh, really?" England asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. There's seven ceiling lights, six beds, a counter, a cabinet, about eight IV pole-thingies, the floor is made of faux marble tile. Should I go on?" I say smugly. England looks and counts everything, and I'm right.

"But what if you have a flashback and start destroying everything?" he asks, wringing his hands. I smile; England is so motherly.

_I'm going to tell him you said that,_ Canada teases.

_Oh, real mature,_ I tell him while sticking my tongue at him.

"_You_ stay out of this," England tells Josh. Josh rolls his eyes. "Hey!" England says indignantly. "Take that back, my eyebrows are _not_ caterpillars!" I giggle. _This is so weird._

_Yeah._

After a few minutes of bickering, I finally throw my pillow at England to shut him up. "Would you _stop that!_" England says after the white ball collides with his face. I shake my head and grin. "I'll stay, if it worries you that much."

"Thank you," he says, tossing my pillow back. I catch it and put it where it should be. Then I dangle my head off the side of the bed as I lie on my back.

_Why are you doing that?_

_You should try it. It really helps your back,_ I say.

_...No thanks..._

_Your loss._

After a few more minutes, I get bored and sit up. I wander over to Jia Li's bed. She's going through a flashback right now. It must be hard on her; China's the oldest, so she'll have more. With a cry of "Hong Kong, aru!" she jerks to a sitting position. She takes in her surroundings in confusion before burying her face in her knees.

"Hey, it's okay. Hong Kong's alright..." I say while patting her on the back awkwardly. She hugs me before I can process fully. When I realize that happen, I wrapped my arms around her. "H-he took h-him, aru..." she says tearfully. "O-Opium _took_ my little brother..."

"It's okay, Jia Li...That was a really long time ago...Hong Kong is perfectly fine..."I tell her, making my words soft and comforting. Finally, she sits back and wipes at her eyes. "I've learned more about my country in two weeks than I have in my entire life, aru..." she says. I laugh. "Me, too. But about Canada. I've never learned that much in schools about the neighboring countries."

She smiles at me. "If you're American, why are you flashing back on Canada's history?" she asks. "Well, it turns out my dad was fully Canadian, and he got American citizenship before he married my mom. So, I'm half-Canadian," I say. "Weird, the way things work..."

"Yeah..." she says. "I come from a normal family in Beijing, and now I'm here. I never thought I'd be...important..."

_**And she's not.**_

_Shut up in there. You don't know her._

"Me neither..." I say. "I've never had...friends, really. One or two who always had more important friends to be with, or some other plans..."

"I'm sorry..." Jia Li says. "Don't be. It's all in the past. Plus, I have friends here!" I say. "If only things weren't so dangerous, aru." Jia Li frowns. "I've been saying 'aru' all day, aru. It's _really_ annoying, aru."

I giggle. Then I exclaim, "Your hair got shorter!" Jia Li looks at her hair. "What? Oh. Yes, aru. I don't know what happened. I woke up a few days ago and it was this length, aru. It's like it just shrank back in my head, aru." I nod in understanding. "My hair shouldn't be this long. The same thing happened to me, but opposite."

"Yeah, aru." Jia Li shudders at the verbal tic. She has her hair down, and it's coming down a little past her shoulder. She changed her bangs in the while that she's been at China's place; they look like Japan's bangs.

We spend a while talking about what we want to do to Germany if we ever get the chance. Jia Li wants to shave his head and give him a sharpie mustache. All I want to do is break his nose. Needless to say, that was fun.

We both end up lying on our backs and cracking up at the thought of a bald Germany. It's weird. This is my first conversation with Jia Li, and it's not awkward at all; usually whenever I try to talk to people, it's full to the brim with awkward silences. It's like we've been friends forever.

Finally, our laughter runs out and we stare at the ceiling. "Do you have any siblings?" I ask. "Yeah. I have a little brother, aru. His name is Fai. He's only three, aru," she says. "I have a little sister," I say. "I know. I saw her in here with your mom," she says. "I wish I could see my mom and Fai again..."

I take her hand comfortingly. "It'll turn out okay in the end. My family's only here because of Germany. I just want them as far away from here as possible to keep them safe..." She squeezes my hand. "It'll be okay, aru. If you want, you can shave Germany with me."

We both crack up again.

_Not a bad idea..._

I laugh harder. "Can you talk to China in your head?" I ask. "Yeah. He gets annoying after a while," she answers with a giggle. "Canada, too," I say.

_I am not annoying...!_

_Yes you are. Sorry, but it's true,_ I tell him. From across the room, he pouts. I laugh and stick my tongue out at him. He smiles and does the same.

Jia Li suddenly stiffens. Her hazel eyes glaze over, and I quickly tie her right hand to the bed. Then I spring back. Just in time, too, because she starts flailing and trying to kill an imaginary person.

After a while, she lets out a yell of pain, and the sheets are splattered with blood. I jump in surprise and start having a spaz attack.

_Hey, calm down, you're giving me a headache!_

_OHMYGOODNESS SHE'S BLEEDING! AGH, BLOOD! GO GET ENGLAND OR CHINA OR WHOEVER! HOLY FRIKIN' CRAP!_

_CALM DOWN! _ Canada yells. Surprisingly, his mind-voice is very loud. He rushes over here and says, _Help me flip her over. The cut's on her back._I do as told; there is an abundance of blood on the back of her shirt.

Canada lifts her shirt up a bit below her shoulder blades; there is a huge cut on her lower back. China comes up with some Chinese herbal stuff and he starts sanitizing it. "World War Two, aru. J-Japan and I fought, aru..." Jia Li snaps out of the flashback and winces. "A-ah..."

"Sh, it's okay, you're going to be okay..." I tell her. She keeps her face screwed up in pain, but she lies still as stitches are applied by China. I sigh. "Shame, too. Japan was one of my favorite characters..."

"What, aru?" China asks.

"Nothing."

"...Whatever, aru..."

_...Why was Japan one of your favorite characters...?_

_'Cause he's all cute and socially awkward. I didn't know he was evil. Japan's got a reason to be evil, though. Kuro Nihon. He's like my Yami-_

_**Yes?**_

_Shut up, not you. Anyway, he's like her, and he possess Japan from time to time. Germany doesn't, though. I think Germany's just evil. _

_...Japan was one of your favorites?..._

I send him a mental picture of me slapping the back of his head. He backs away from me. I grin evilly and he backs away further.

_You're a yandere, too._

_Yeah, you'd better believe it_, I grin.

He sighs and shakes his head, but he's smiling.

An uneventful hour passes, and pretty much everyone falls asleep. I spend the time with my feet in the air, singing songs softly to myself. Most of them were Skillet songs. I made myself giggle by singing the chorus of "Call me maybe." Then I managed to get Maroon 5's "Payphone" stuck in my head. **(I own none of those songs or bands.)** "...If 'happy ever after' did exist~, I would still be holding you like this~ And all those fairytales are full of it~ One more stupid love song, I'll be sick~ Now I'm at a payphone..." I sing quietly.

I am so bored.

"Hey, I just met you. And this is crazy! But here's my number, so call me maybe!"

Bored enough to sing that.

I sigh and stand up. I don't know what time it is, and I don't really care. I walk past a snoring England and exit the room.

_**Ooh, you're such a rebel.**_

_I know, aren't I?_

I wander around the halls of Austria's manor. There aren't soldiers here like there are at Germany's. I like that; less people to wonder what I'm doing here and not in the hospital room, less people to fuss over me, less people to think I'm fragile and should be resting.

I'm not fragile.

_**Whatever you say, sweetheart.**_

I go back to mine and Lauren's room and flop down on the bed; Lauren's bed was moved by an America. Itabby was sleeping on the pillow. Key word: _was._ It's not my fault he blends in with the pillowcase. Anyway, the kitty wakes up with a frightened "Mew!" and shoots under the bed. I dangle my torso over the edge and kick my feet in the air to look under. Itabby is curled up against the wall, shaking.

"C'mere, kitty," I say, offering my hand for him to smell. "I didn't mean to scare you." Slowly, Itabby inches towards my hand, and then he starts purring and rubbing against it. I scratch him behind the ears. "Good Itabby..."

I sigh and sit back up. A shower sounds good right about now. I go in the bathroom and lock the door; mustn't forget there's a wild France wandering around here somewhere...

Anyway, I let the warm water soothe me. When I get out, I'm completely at peace, at least for the time being. I look in the drawers and find a lot of clothes. I dress myself in white skinny jeans and a red T-shirt. Then I find a white hoodie in the closet, and I put that on backwards. After that, I deposit Itabby gently in the hood.

Ta da! Magic pet carrier!

Itabby is very at ease in the makeshift carrier, and I slip my arms back in and turn the hoodie the right way. Itabby starts chewing my hair. "Hey, cat, I just got clean!" I say, nodding my head so the kitty would stop eating my hair. I take a strand of my hair and braid it, tying the end with a rubber band I found on the desk.

I feel very clean.

I continue my wandering with a purring cat on my back. Eventually, I find myself at the courtyard. I stare distastefully at the stained blood on the floor of the hallway and in the snow in the courtyard.

In the back of my mind, Canada starts freaking out.

_Issa! Where are you! Why did you leave! _

_Calm down, I'm okay,_ I tell him with a sigh. _I got bored, so I left. I'm fine, I'm at the courtyard._

_That was very irresponsible of you...!_

_I know. I'm sorry. I just couldn't stand it in there. _

Canada sighs. _England's freaking out._

_When doesn't he?_

_...Good point. I'll tell him you're on your way back. You ARE on your way back, aren't you?_ I can almost see him raising an eyebrow at these words.

_I am now. Be there in a few..._I think. I sigh again. But either way, I turn and walk back to the infirmary after I kick the bloodstain on the floor.

When I get back, I am immediately wrapped in an Iggy-hug. "Where the bloody heck have you- you're all wet," he states smartly as he eyes my water-logged hair. "Yes. I am. I went back to mine and Lauren's room, took a shower, and just wandered around for a bit. I'm not going to run off again, don't worry," I say to him.

"Did you have a flashback?" he asks.

"Nope. I probably would've broke something if I did."

"Why is there a cat in your hood?" England asks. Itabby lets out a scared "Meow!" when England comes into his view. "Why not?" I ask, shrugging. "Good point..." he says.

I enter the room of boredom and lie down on my bed. Itabby jumps from my hood and starts kneading at the back of the sweatshirt, trying to get me up to play with him. I sit up and begin petting the cat. He purrs like a motorcycle.

Then I lie back down and close my eyes. Sleep comes to me a few minutes after Itabby decides to take a siesta on my stomach.

XXX

When I wake up England's passed out over his spell book again, and Dimah is trying to calm Prussia, who doesn't look like he wants to be calmed by Russia's lookalike. "Berlin Wall?" I ask Dimah. He nods. I laugh and notice Lauren's empty bed.

_Oh, she's gone..._I think. Canada is asleep again, so he doesn't answer. I get up, give Prussia a hug, and leave the room. "Hey, wait...!" Prussia says, but he doesn't follow me.

Where could Lauren be...?

I decide to look in our room first. A few feet from the barely-opened door, Lauren cries weakly, "Shut up!" I push the door open to see Lauren curled up in the fetal position on the floor, crying. "Lauren?" I ask. She sniffles and ignores me.

I kneel next to her. "Lauren, don't cry...come on..." I say awkwardly as I pat her on the back, watching out for her wounds.

I hate this sort of thing...

"_Ashes to dust, dust to dust..."_ she quietly sings between body-wracking sobs. She twitches a little, rubbing her arms. Actually, more like clutching them. What's wrong with her...?

"...Do you want me to go get Dimah...?" I ask quietly. Dimah will be able to comfort her... She nods, and I dash out of the room.

I burst quietly into the infirmary and grab DImah's wrist. "Hey- what-?" he asks. "Lauren's in our room in the fetal position crying and I don't know what to do, so I thought maybe you could help," I deadpan as I drag him.

"Oh, o-okay..." he says.

I push the door open, and Dimah goes in first. "Lauren?" he asks softly. Lauren is in the corner of the room, a small music box in her hands. She cranks the wheel do-hicky, obviously lost in thought. Then she starts to sing.

"_There's a place that I know_ _It's not pretty there and few have ever gone…"_

I don't realize she's singing in Japanese until now. Maybe she's been using it so much she's forgotten to switch...?

"_If I show it to you now, will it make you run away?_ _Or will you stay, even if it hurts?_ _Even if I try to push you out, will you return?_ _And remind me who I really am,_

_Please remind me who I really am…"_

She pauses, and the music stops along with her hand.

"Lauren?" Dimah calls again, but again, she's too immersed in the music to notice anything or anyone else as she continues to sing, just barely above a whisper.

"_Everybody's got a dark side_ _Do you love me?_ _Can you love mine?_ _Nobody's a picture perfect _ _But we're worth it_ _You know that we're worth it_ _Will you love me_ _Even with my dark side?"_

Again, Dimah calls out her name as I start to sing with her, sitting down next to her.

"_Like a diamond_ _From black dust_ _It's hard to know what can become _ _If you give up_ _So don't give up on me_ _Please remind me who I really am…_

_Everybody's got a dark side_ _Do you love me?_ _Can you love mine?_ _Nobody's a picture perfect _ _But we're worth it_ _You know that we're worth it_ _Will you love me_ _Even with my dark side…?"_

She pauses and flips on her side, cradling her head in one hand and cranking with the other.

"_Don't run away_ _Don't run away_ _Just tell me that you will stay_ _Promise me that you will stay_

_Don't run away_ _Don't run away_ _Just promise me that you will stay_ _Promise me you will stay_

_Will you love me…?_

_Everybody's got a dark side_ _Do you love me?_ _Can you love mine?_ _Nobody's a picture perfect _ _But we're worth it_ _You know that we're worth it_ _Will you love me_ _Even with my dark side?_

_Don't run away_ _Don't run away_ _Don't run away_ _Promise you will stay…" _The music box starts over, so Lauren quits singing. "Lauren!" I call. She jumps and whips her head over in this direction. "What!" she yelps. She notices her Russian. "Oh, hi, Dimah!" she smiles at him. His eyes are wide, and he sits next to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her. "I love you so much, _moi svet..._" he whispers.

_Awww~_

Lauren tilts her head to the side, gasps, and almost falls over; I think she would've if Dimah wasn't holding her. "Dark Side by Kelly Clarkson!" she exclaims proudly. I facepalm. Didn't she know what she was singing? **(Do I look like Kelly Clarkson?)**

She stands, and we do too. Lauren doesn't move, though. So, Dimah takes her hand and starts half-guiding-half-dragging her to the hospital room. "They're coming to take me away, ha-ha~!" Lauren chirps. **(Don't own that song, either.)**

Suddenly, she stops singing. "What's coming?" she asks. I furrow my eyes.

_Yeah, what's coming?_

Lauren takes in a shuddering breath and closes her eyes. "...Lauren?" I ask. She opens her eyes and I gasp: now _both_ of her eyes are a bright, vivid crimson. We pass a mirror. Lauren wants to stop and examine her reflection, but Dimah keeps walking. Lauren's mouth ripples into an insane smile at the sight of her eyes. "..Issa?" she mimics in a mocking tone. I look curiously at her.

_What's wrong with her?_

Dimah picks Lauren up and puts her gently on her bed. He sits next to her and holds her tightly. I rush to England and yank the book out from under his face, effectively waking him up. "Wha- whozzair?" he slurs.

"It's Lauren," I tell him. That wakes him up fast. "Wha- she's right there, what's wrong with her?" he asks, mimicking my hushed voice. I shake my head. "I-I don't know! Now _both_ her eyes are red and she's get a scary aura like Russia after you take his sunflowers!" I tell him. England's (bushy) eyebrows furrow, and he walks closer to her. Lauren rolls her eyes. "As much fun as that sounds, I'm sleepy again. We can torture him later..." she mumbles, laying down on the fuzzy blanket.

England jumps. "T-torture who?" he squeaks.

"Who else but the frog?" she mutters. France, who is sitting next to Harvey, squeals loudly and starts trembling. When I look back at Lauren, she's asleep. Dimah strokes her hair, murmuring things to her in Russian.

After a few minutes of silence from the whole room, Lauren lets out a vicious cackle in her sleep. Canada jerks awake. "What happened?" he asks. England tries to explain, but I send him a mental picture of Lauren in front of the mirror with her creepy grin.

_I don't know, but she's being really scary._

Lauren laughs again, still sleeping. She snickers, and then screams in satisfaction. I can't stand this anymore.

I jump over and take Lauren by her shoulders, giving her several shakes. "Lauren! Lauren! What's going on!" I shriek when she shoves my hands away and sits up on her own. "You were screaming and cackling in your sleep!"

She stares into my eyes with her scarlet ones and blinks. Then she cringes. "...Torture. Everyone..." she mumbles. With a groan, I facepalm.

"How many British people have to go insane before this is all over...?" I ask to no one in particular.

Lauren suddenly chirps, "Okay~!" I give her a funny look. "Hey, just to let you guys know, I'm insane," she says matter-of-factly.

"We know," I say without hesitation.

"...No, like, really. I want to hear screams. I want to make someone bleed. I'm giving you all a fair warning, but the first to go will probably be France..." she trails off, lost in thought.

_Oh, _that_ kind of insane..._

I take a step back, and so does everyone else at the same time.

Lauren only grins. "So, yeah. Let the yandere-ness begin~!"

Canada jumps up and points a finger at me. He's grinning like crazy. In his Canadian voice, he shouts, "I TOLD YOU!"

XXXXXXXX

Rin's POV

So far, the three hours we've been in the car have been silent.

And unbelievably awkward.

So, I sat in the middle of Alex and Sydney. Japan is driving, and Germania is sitting shotgun. Germania's been messing with the air conditioner vents and glaring out the window like he's trying to make it catch fire.

...Irony is something, isn't it? We HAVE passed several small fires. The aftermath of the huge one we made.

I lost my gloves in the fire, so my hand's been in my pocket for the longest time. Sydney and Alex fell asleep a while ago. Alex's head is on my shoulder, and he's snoring. I look at his hands; he's been biting his nails again. I'll chastise him when he's feeling better.

I sigh and run my fingers through my hair. I lost maybe an inch in the fire, so it's rather short now. The blackened ends fall into my palm. I stare at them, fascinated. Cautiously, I probe them with the tip of my finger, and they deteriorate into nothing more than black dust.

I look at Sydney. She has lots of cuts over her body. One of the deeper ones curves around her left eye in a crescent shape. It's almost dainty.

Alex is covered in bruises, and the back of his head is cut, which stained his orange hair red. He has two black eyes; he looks like he's wearing a purple mask. His hand is swollen; it's sprained, perhaps? I gingerly take it, and he wakes up with a yelp.

"Ah! Ow! Ow ow ow! Owww!" he says, cradling it closer to himself. "Let me see it," I say. He shakes his head. "Nuh-uh, it hurts," he says firmly. "Well, let me fix it!" I hold out my hand for his. He shakes his head again. "Do you want it to stop hurting?" I ask impatiently. He sighs and holds out his hand.

As soon as I touch it, he flinches. "Ow!" he says again. "Do you think it's broken?" I ask. He shakes his head. "I don't know. I can't move my fingers." I gently probe his hand and he lets out a stream of Italian curse words.

"Okay," I say. "Hold still. This is going to hurt." I ready my scarf. "Wait, wait, wait, what are you going to do? When you say 'This is going to hurt,' it's not exactly comfor- AARGH!" he yells as I wrap my scarf around his hand tightly, straightening his fingers. I let go as Alex tries to calm down. "OWwww...Ahhowww...Owwww...Ow...!" he moans. "...That _hurt..._!" I nod. "I can tell."

Suddenly, we both crack up laughing. I have no idea why. Soon, Japan and Germania are staring at us like we're crazy, and Alex and I are out of breath. Sydney wakes up. "Huh?...Whazzat?"

"Alex just got his hand fixed," I say. "If you weren't, like, my sister, you'd be dead by now," Alex says. He curls his hand up to his chest, and he doesn't look like he's going to move it any time soon. I laugh. "Does it feel better now?" I ask innocently.

"Well, it still frickin' _hurts_, but it hurts less than before..." he says. I smile again. Sydney says, "Alright, I'm going back to sleep..."

"Okay. Sleep tight," I say, patting her head. She smiles, closes her eyes, and is asleep again.

"She lost a lot of blood..." Alex says. I brush her bangs out of her face. "She's going to be okay. She has to be," I say.

XXXXXXX

_I sponge Germany's forehead. Italy sits next to me, freaking out. _

_"Japan! Japan! He's bleeding! What's wrong with him! He doesn't sleep unless it's night time!" he wails, flailing his arms. _

_"Italy, please calm down," I tell him. "He's going to be alright. It's okay that he's sleeping. He needs his rest." Germany came back to Headquarters with a few bullet wounds from his previous battle. It was nothing serious; he'll be okay. _

_"Ve~ okay. I hope he's better soon!" Italy chirps. _

XXXXXXX

"What the freak was _that_?" Alex says once I open my eyes again. "What was what?" Germania asks, turning around to look at us questioningly. "I- I don't know. It was like...a memory. But it wasn't mine..." I say. "Whose was it, then?" he asks. "I don't freaking know!" Alex exclaims. Japan frowns, his eyes on the "road."

"Japan, I think it was yours," I tell him. His frown deepens. "This wasn't supposed to happen..." he mumbles to himself.

"_What_ wasn't supposed to happen?" Alex asks, narrowing his eyes. Japan glances at him through the mirror. I look at him, too, and ask, "How long has this been here?" I point to a long and curly strand of hair that sticks up. He swats at my hand. "Don't touch it!" he says. "I wasn't going to!" I retort.

"I don't know when exactly it came, but it won't go away, and it hurts when someone touches it," he says

**(SO...MANY...DISTRACTIONSSS! D: 'Kids react to Caramelldansen' XD I don't own that. )**

Japan raises an eyebrow. _He knows something..._ I think suspiciously. Alex's eyes get big. "OH!" he exclaims. "I think I was Italy. We've met him before, haven't we?" I widen my eyes in a warning sign; Japan still doesn't know we're on the other side. Hopefully, he thinks we're just a third opposing team. "You mean in Venice?" I ask. "He stopped to talk to us. Remember?" I raise an eyebrow at him, and he gets it. "Oh, yeah, right. Then that idiot came back and beat us up. Yeah, I 'member." He points his thumb toward the trunk, where Mr. Nameless is hopefully still passed out.

Meanwhile, Japan is muttering to himself. I'm not able to catch most of it, but it doesn't sound good. He keeps saying how this wasn't supposed to happen, is there a reverse for it, and a bunch of other stuff along those lines.

I look over at Alex. He's messing with something small and black. A cell phone. "Where'd you get that?" I ask. "Swiped it from the idiot. He won't be needing it," he says smugly. "A bunch of his thugs are wondering where he is. I fired them all."

"Nice," I say approvingly. "But what if they come looking for him?"

"Got that taken care of. I posted on his twitter that he's in the Caribbean. Taking a vacation," Alex says, his smirk widening. **(I don't own twitter)** "You hacked his twitter?" I ask. "'No. He left it open. Not my fault he didn't count on his phone being jacked," Alex laughs. "True," I say. "Nice phone, too," he says admiringly. "If he had enough money for this, why doesn't he wear something other than those awful Hawaiian shirts all the time?"

I shrug. "Beats me," I say. Alex suddenly laughs. "His most-used app is Angry Birds." **(I don't own that, either. Nor will I ever.)** I laugh.

The car suddenly slows to a stop. We've stopped at a very large white mansion. "What's going on?" I ask.

Japan sighs. "If this wasn't happening, I could've let you go," he says. "_Could've_?" Alex asks. "What do you mean, _could've?_"

"I'm sorry," he says. "I truly am." I grip my katana handle. "What are you doing?" I ask through gritted teeth.

"It's the transformation. I had hoped you wouldn't start it, but you are. I can't just let you go now that you're..."

"We're _what?_" Alex hisses. "You mean the flashback thing? What does that have to do with anything!"

"It means everything," Japan answers sadly. Germania lifts his spear. "What are you going to do?" he asks menacingly. Japan only sighs.

Soldiers surround the car. "I trusted you," I say, my voice low with hatred. Sydney wakes up. "What's going on?" she asks. Soldiers open the doors and rip all of us out of the vehicle. Alex cusses in Italian and Sydney remains limp. I allow them to take me, but I'm stiff. Germania is howling in...Latin?

Japan's eyes find me, and I glare at him. Again, he says, "I'm sorry..."

I shake my head. "No you're not."

**OOOH, BURN. /shot/**

**Heh, sorry about that. XD I wasn't planning on making Japan keep them, but, it just kinda...happened. My fingers took control. :U **

**ONE! What's wrong with Lauren?**

**TWO! Have you heard "Dark Side'?**

**RANDOM QUESTION! What kind of cake/ ice cream did you have for your last birthday?**

**FOUR! Why did Japan not let them go?**

**FIVE! Do you play Angry Birds a lot?**

**Heh heh heh. I'm so evil. **

**Anyway, that took two days to write, and now my birthday is TOMORROW! :D I'll be *insert age* years old! Yay! TAKE THAT, STALKERS! HA HA HAAA! It's Canada's birthday tomorrow, too. I REMEMBERED, MATTIE! :D**

**WHO WANTS TO GIVE ME A BIRTHDAY PRESENT BY REVIEWING? :D **


	13. Friendzone'd

**HAI EVERYBODY! :D **

**Thanks so much for all the birthday reviews! :3 *gives ice cream cake to Guest, Art and Soul, Kitana Lunara, ThePersonofAwesomeness, TheKazemaruSiblings, fireflame1801, Cat In The Fedora Hat, caset290, CelticGirl7, and Guest* **

**:3 **

**Hello. :B **

**Enjoy this thank-you-chappie from me for the reviews! :3**

Rin's POV

I pace in this room. It's a terribly ugly room. The walls are pale yellow, the carpet is a greenish shade, and the wallpaper is brown and striped. I've been here for maybe five hours. I don't know. There isn't a clock in here.

I hate Japan.

I hate Germany.

I hate Mr. Nameless.

I hate myself.

It's my fault Alex and Sydney were dragged into this. If only I had just roundhoused Japan in the face. If only I had tried harder to persuade Alex and Sydney into going back to Austria.

If only, if only, if only...

XXXXXXXXX

_"Count off!" Germany cries. "Uno!" Italy chirps. "Ni!" I say. "And me," Germany says, finishing the count off. "Those Allied swine are on the attack! What do you do!"_

_"That's an easy one, sir, surrender immediately!" Italy says cheerfully. "Wrong, Italy!" Germany says sternly. Italy's face falls and he pouts. Then he begins flapping his arms and grinning again, although he remains silent. "Japan!" Germany barks. _

XXXXXXXXX

"No!" I say quietly, grasping my head in my hands. It was that stupid flashback that got me landed here, and I'm not going to let it continue.

A few hours ago, I mysteriously gained a few more scratches and bruises.

I kick the bed post in rage.

Oops, there's one more bruise.

Eyes streaming with pain, I flop on the bed and bring my knee up to my chest, massaging my foot through my shoe.

Of course, my katana was confiscated. Alex's gun was, too. Sydney preferred to use her fists. The soldiers separated us. On Japan's orders. I guess common sense worked itself into his thick skull, causing him to realize keeping us together might work to his disadvantage; he's seen how well we fight as a team. When separate...we're not as good. I've already lost against him.

I hope he never shows his stupid face ever again. I know I can't kill him, with him being a nation and all, but I at least want to knock him out.

That would be nice.

Leave him with a pretty little scar.

I stand up and walk to the dorm window, planting myself firmly on it. As I stare forlornly out the window, I allow myself to be engulfed in fantasies of me beating the crap out of Japan.

And Mr. Nameless.

And Germany.

...And then Japan again.

...And then Mr. Nameless again.

...Is what he said about my parents really true? Did they really sell me? And for what purpose? Were they too poor to keep me? Did they lose a bet or something?

It's despicable. No parent should to that to their child.

I hate them, too.

Soon, I start to wonder about my past. First of all, why can't I remember anything? I don't remember my school, my home, my town...It's all a mystery. Who was I?

Who am I now? Am I a ninja? An assassin?

I'm Rin. I don't know who exactly she is, but she's, apparently, me.

I glare up in the corner, where a video camera watches me. Sighing once again, I look away, back out the window. I rest my chin on my knees for a second, then I bury my face in the black fabric. I stay in that position for about ten minutes, which seems like an eternity to me.

The lock on the door clicks. I can sense the nation before the door opens. Adrenaline rushing through me, I jump up and clench my fists. Germany walks in. "And what do you want?" I ask rudely.

He raises an eyebrow. "I would think you'd want to know what's going on," he says calmly. I resist the urge to kick him in the neck as he sits down in one of the ugly chairs. "Come, sit," he invites me.

I remain standing.

"Fine, then," Germany says, shrugging. "What happened to your hand?" I jump, glance down at it, and say, "Just explain and get out of here."

"Alright," he says while raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "You are a nation lookalike," he says, like this clears up the whole thing. "Yes, so what?"

"If a lookalike is too near a nation for too long, they start turning in to the country they look like. First is gaining special features about them, such as hair curls. The next phase is any wounds the lookalike might have to be healed," Germany says. "After that, the lookalike starts seeing the nation's memories. Next, the nations and the lookalikes begin to communicate in their minds.

"The next phase happens to the nations. The more memories the lookalike watches, the more transparent the nation becomes. If the lookalike relives all the nation's memories, the nation disappears, and the lookalike takes their place as representative of that country. The last phase of this transformation is extremely painful for both."

I pinch the bridge of my nose and begin pacing. "So, what now?" I ask. "You're going to kill us to stop the transformation?"

"No," he says simply.

I stop and give him a "what the heck?" look.

"You're going to help me," he says.

"And if I refuse?"

"_Then_ I kill you."

"Well, you'd better get your killing tools ready. I'm not going to do anything you say," I tell him in a voice far braver than what I feel.

He is silent for a while. Then he says, "Come here. Let me show you something." I raise an eyebrow in confusion, but follow him out anyways.

Germany walks in silence. I wipe sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand while I start shivering. Germany opens a door and stands aside so I can go in first. I do so with an apprehensive glance at him.

This room seems to be on the other side of a one-way mirror, so we can see the room like we're looking through a window. The other room is plain white, like the hospital room in Austria. There is a silver table in the middle of the room. Sitting on a wooden chair with his hands chained to the table is a freakishly tall man. He has slightly damp silver hair and eerie violet eyes. A tattered white scarf hangs around his neck. He is wearing a tan coat that is rather ugly. Though he's covered in multiple bruises and cuts, a childish grin still plays on the man's lips.

"Do you know who this is?" Germany asks. I shake my head, but I do know. This is Sunflower. I felt him as I walked in here. "Yes you do," Germany says encouragingly. I give him an untrusting look and shake my head again. "This is Russia," Germany says. "Go on. Step closer. He can't see you."

Tentatively, I take a step closer to the one-way mirror.

"Do you want to know what Russia has done?" he asks.

**(Sorry, I have to. "Do ya wanna know how I got these scars?" XD The Joker from the Dark Knight which I do not own. I just had to say that. Anyway, resume!)**

I shake my head. Germany laughs and tells me anyway. "Russia and one other were trying to thwart me. The other was only a human. Oh, don't worry, I cleaned up after myself. She's dead now."

Germany starts circling me. "You see, I can't kill Russia yet because he's a nation. So, I torture him. It's a shame he has such a strong will, but, no matter. He will break soon. They all will. The girl was disposable. She got a quick and painless death, which is far kinder than what I'll do to you if you do not do everything I ask."

"I don't care," I reply. I curse my voice for shaking.

"Of course you don't. But you care what happens to those friends of yours."

I clench my fists. "I swear, if you hurt them-"

"Their lives need not be wasted," Germany offers.

I remain silent for a long time.

"Do you want to know the name of the girl I killed?"

I shake my head.

He tells me anyway. "Her name was Lauren." He's in front of me now, watching me closely, trying to read me. I won't let him. I wipe my face of all emotion, hoping that I look bored rather than panicked. There's no way it was Lauren Cohen. She- she was fine, last I saw her.

All of a sudden, I know he's lying. Russia went missing before we left, and we saw Lauren. She was wearing a grey dress. I'm sure of it.

Then I realize what he's doing.

He wants me to prove him wrong. He wants me to inadvertently confess I'm on the other side.

I won't.

"You knew her, didn't you?" Germany asks. I shake my head. "Don't lie to me," he says. "I know you and your friends were in Austria with the other nations."

"No I wasn't. I was escaping from Mr. Nameless," I lie. "He doesn't like that much."

"Don't lie to me," he repeats. "You and your group are friends- allies at the least- with Issa. You know which nation triggers the bomb."

"No I don't. I don't know who you're talking about," I say, trying to make it seem like a bucket of ice had not just poured itself in my stomach.

"Yes you do. Switzerland fought you three, and Issa broke up the fight. You told her your story, and she you. You became friends," Germany says, trying to catch my eyes. I shake my head and stare intently at my shoes, trying hard not to look guilty.

"It was out of pity," he says in a whisper. "Issa doesn't really care whether or not you were there. I bet she hasn't even noticed that you're missing."

I put my hands over my ears and squeeze my eyes shut. "You're lying," I whisper.

"What can they do for you?" Germany asks, pulling my hands away from my head and making me listen to him. "Whatever they offer, I can double it. All you need to do is say you'll help."

I stand there trembling for a second. Then I shake my head. "I don't care if they really don't care about me. What you're doing is wrong. It's pure evil. Don't you get it? You can't win! Even if you succeed, you'll never be happy! I saw the way Italy adored you. You were happy there with your friends. You were content. Now you're destroying your friendship for your own personal gain. They may not care about me, but I care about them. I won't help you kill them."

"Fine," he says menacingly. "Have it your way."

Germany lifts me by the front of my shirt and throws me through the one-way mirror so fast I don't have time to register the pain until I'm lying in a pile of glass shards. Russia looks politely startled. "Are you okay?" he asks me.

I fight my way to my feet, getting cut and poked a lot. "Yeah, m'fine," I answer while wiping blood out of my eyes.

Germany hops through the hole in the wall and into the room, a whip in his hand. I lift my hands in a battle position and brace myself for the torture that's sure to come. With a gasp, I stumble back a few steps.

His eyes, which I thought were a piercing blue, are completely gold.

Zack's POV

_C'mon, Josie...Come here, I wanna talk to you..._I think desperately. Times like these make me wish I could hear what Josie's thinking, too. _I don't even know what I did wrong! Please, Josie!_

_Dude, it's okay. You want me to go get her?_ America thinks to me.

_If it wasn't for these stupid flashbacks, I could get her myself..._I think bitterly.

_Hey, it's not my fault! I had no idea you'd be-_

_Turning into a mini- you. _

_Yeah. That. _

I sigh again. This whole thing has been a freaking nightmare. I just want to go home.

_Josie, please..._I beg again.

The door is pushed open. "Josie!" I yelp, scrambling to my feet. I run there to give her a hug. "Why have you been ignoring me?" I ask.

"You know what you did," she says, pushing me away. "Hey, wh- No I don't!" I protest.

She sighs, glances around the room at all the people, and tugs me out of the room by my sleeve. England starts to protest, but Josie snaps, "Keep your pants on, he'll be back soon."

England falls back into his chair.

"What did I do?" I ask. "In Germany," she answers. "When that blond dude had me. You should've just let me die."

"So you're mad because I saved your life?"

"Gah! Zack, you idiot!" she yells at the empty hallway. "My life is much less important than the world. You should've just, I don't know, threw your shoe at him and let me kick him in the face! You know how much fun that'd be? Anyway, what if you didn't call off the agreement? You'd've told him everything, and then the world would be nothing but a big ball of ash."

"...I wouldn't have told him everything," I say.

"What if I was still there? What then? Would you still have?" she asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

I stand in silence for a few seconds. "...But why does it matter? You're safe now!"

"It matters because you almost caused the destruction of every country except Germany because of me, and I won't let you do that!"

_She's got a point._

_Shut it, you._

"Al sure is annoying," Josie says, rolling her eyes.

_Hey...!_

"Wha- you can hear him too?"

"Yep." She looks through the window of the infirmary and waves at America. He waves back.

"That is so not fair. How come you can hear everything that's going on in my head, but I can't to yours?" I whine.

"That's 'cause girls are awesome-er than boys," Josie says, sticking her tongue out at me.

From somewhere down the hall, Prussia calls, "Not as awesome as me!"

"Shut up!" we yell back in unison. One look at each other and we both crack up. After a while, my laughs morph into sharp coughs. I clutch my stomach with one hand and slide against the wall on the floor, coughing blood into the other.

"...Zack?" Josie asks tentatively. "What's going on?" I shake my head and cough a few more times, blood dripping through my fingers.

"...Fine..." I gasp after a while. "M'okay..."

I lift my shirt up and look at what, yesterday, was a pink circle, and a few days ago, a fatal wound. It's dripping blood.

"Wait- what- why- why are you bleeding, what's going on?" Josie asks, crouching next to me.

"I don't-" I cough again. "-know. I don't know."

"Stop it! Whatever you're doing! You're scaring the crap out of me!" she shrieks.

"You think I-" cough "-I'm doing this on purpose?"

_Hey, what's going on out there?_ Al asks in the back of my mind.

_I don't know...! _

He comes out and kneels next to me. "What happened?" he asks while I have another coughing fit. "I don't know!" Josie exclaims. "We were laughing, and then he started coughing up blood and he started bleeding!"

England comes out. He takes one look at me and groans. "I can't let you guys go _anywhere!_" he exclaims, but kneels next to me all the same. "Okay, just breathe," he tells me.

"What do you think I'm-" cough "-doing?" I ask.

"...Good point," he says. "Let me see."

I move my hand away, and it's covered in blood. The part of my mind that isn't freaking out laughs, _Hahah, I've been caught "red-handed!" _

Al pauses for a second, and then cracks up. "'Red-handed!' That's funny!" He catches the glare Arthur's giving him and he falls silent. Josie rolls her eyes and flicks me on the forehead. "This isn't funny!" she tells me sternly.

"Okay, oka-" cough "-Okay, I'm sorry!" I gasp.

Another wave of unexplainable pain washes through me, and I clutch my diaphragm again. "Stop that, move your hand," Artie scolds.

There's a _whoosh!_ sound. Josie yelps and ducks. A small _ping!_ is heard.

Silence wraps around the hallway, and America gets up, moving towards the wall on the opposite side. He picks something lodged in the concrete out with his two fingers. Then he turns around and presents the object to us.

It's a bullet.

"Oh, so _that's_ where that went!" I say. The bullet obviously didn't go all the way through me, but I didn't know it's been in me the entire time! I thought they already got it out!

For some reason, I find this hilarious, and I crack up again.

"Stop that!" England says crossly.

"I can't!" I gasp. "Oh my gosh! That is so _gross_! I just shot a bullet with my stomach! I'm like a human machine gun!"

Josie and America laugh, too, but England just says, "Come on..." and walks back inside.

I shrug and stand up again, all pain magically removed. "Well, that was weird," I say.

Inside, Lauren seems to be telling Issa the true meaning of "Ring around the Rosy."

"And we teach that to _children!_" Issa exclaims, horrified.

Lauren laughs, her new scarlet eyes glinting with madness. "Yep!" she chirps. All of a sudden, Issa turns toward Matt and says, "Will you shut up about the yandere/ tsundere thing!"

Canada grins, shaking his head.

Issa sees me and jumps. "You're covered in blood!" she yelps.

I snicker and hold up the bullet. "My stomach turned into a machine gun," I say.

"No, it didn't," England says, his nose buried in his book of 'Magic.' "The bullet simply-"

"Shot out of his stomach as if it was shot out of a gun?" Josie supplies.

"Yes. But that doesn't mean his stomach's a gun," England says, putting a handful of blue powder into a pot. Whatever else is in there explodes.

England opens his eyes, startled. His entire face is black with ash. His hair sticks straight up, also black. I crack up again. Not long after, Issa and Lauren join in. Then Josh, Harvey, Dimah, Jia Li, and Al. Then Matt, although a little faintly. England gets over the shock, scowls at the room, and wipes the black off his face.

His hair is still sticking up.

"...Here, let me help," Issa says, getting up and patting England's hair into acceptably what it was before his magic-whatever blew up in his face.

His eyebrows got considerably thinner.

Noticing this, England's scowl deepens. "_You_ go lie down," he snaps, jabbing a finger at me. "_You_ stop that," he says while pointing at Lauren, who's trying to untie the rope around her ankle (she pouts and lets go of the rope). "And _you_ quit laughing at me!" he finishes while pointing at Josh.

At first, I'm confused. Then I realize he must be able to talk with England through their heads, like me and Al.

Anyways, I raise my hands in a gesture of surrender and lie on my bed. "Happy now?" I ask.

"Yes!" he snaps.

He doesn't _sound_ happy.

_Yeah, Iggy's just like that. _

_Tell me about it._

"...Don't look at me like that," Issa says to Josh.

"Like what?" he asks innocently.

"Like I just stabbed you!"

"I'm not staring at you like that," he protests.

"Yes you are..." Issa says. She gasps and says, "It's because I was all concerned 'cause Zack came in all bloody, isn't it?"

"No..."

Issa rolls her eyes. "I'd be concerned if _France_ came in here all bloody," she says. She looks at said nation in the corner and adds, "No offense."

"None taken!"

"No, it's not!" Josh says.

Issa groans. "Alright, I'm sick of this little competition," she says. "Until I say otherwise, both of you have been officially Friendzone'd!"

And with that, she storms out.

"_Ah, les femmes. Ils sont si difficiles a comprendre,"_ France sighs after a moment of silence. My newly acquired sense of French translates this into, "Ah, women. They're so hard to understand."

"..._Oui_..." I agree. **(Yes)**

"Should I go and apologize...?" Josh asks.

"Um...That's not the best idea..." Canada says.

"Why not?"

"...Well, I just asked her, and she says she's going to kill someone if provoked further."

"Oh...Alright, then..." he says, flopping back down.

"...Well, _that_ wasn't very nice..." Canada mumbles to himself. Or, Issa, maybe.

I wonder what she's thinking...

_It's probably best you didn't know,_ America says.

_Yeah, I guess you're right..._

"Hey!" Canada yelps. "Don't say that!"

_...Yeah, you're right._

Issa's POV

Y'know, with it being January/ February (I haven't seen a calendar for days, so I don't know what month it is. I think it's February, though), I didn't know it's possible for it to be raining. The rain seems to be freezing as it comes down, causing some sort of slush. It's weird, and kind of ominous.

The snow is melting, even though it's probably fifteen degrees Fahrenheit outside. It adds to the giant slush ball Vienna is becoming.

After Lauren became officially insane, England thought it would be best to restrain her. Dimah and I fought with him about that, and Lauren seemed neutral on the matter. She kept throwing in suggestions and interjecting that she's going to go kill France now (to which England pulled her aside and gave her a small lecture about how killing people is bad, even if he wasn't too fond of France, either). We ended up tying her foot to the bed and confiscating anything that could be used as a weapon, leaving her with her laptop and a history book.

Now where did she get that...?

I don't think I wanna know.

I had to keep warding off the curious country-cats that wanted to cuddle her after she threw Russiacat at France's face.

Anyway, it's about nine-thirty, ten-ish. I'm too lazy to check the clock. By now, the lookalikes have turned nocturnal. The countries took a while more to get used to it, but they're okay now. Belarus, Switzerland and Austria seem to be avoiding here, Lichtenstein, Ukraine, Spain, Romano, Italy, and Hungary come by a few times a day, and France, England, Prussia, America, Canada, and China practically live here. The lookalikes, of course, are stuck here twenty-four/ seven due to uncontrollable flashbacks that possess us from time to time and try to kill the other lookalikes.

Lauren stays here, too, of course. She kind of lived here after my little suicide attempt, but now she needs to be here. I haven't seen Josie in a long while; I think she's avoiding Zack, for whatever reason. The Axis lookalikes are nowhere to be found; they're actually missing. They seemed to have left, as their room's empty, and they don't seem likely to be wandering around the manor. A few of the countries didn't even know they existed until Liechtenstein came in and announced them to be gone. I don't know where they are, but I really hope they're okay.

My mom and Renae don't seem to be comfortable with all the nations around; they don't sense them like the Axis lookalikes do, but they're acting like they're royalty. Like, my mom stared at me when I flicked France on the nose for being a pervert, and later she asked how I could be so informal around them. I laughed and said they're just like any other person (she contradicted that most people aren't the personification of nations. I agreed with her).

Germania is also missing; maybe he's with the Axis lookalikes?

Rome comes in here from time to time. His visits became less frequent after Lauren socked him on the arm for flirting with her.

Kumajiki likes me a lot, nowadays. He's usually curled up on my bed, or he follows me whenever I'm pacing the infirmary in boredom. He still hasn't learned my name. It's kind of cute, but it's becoming to be like a broken record. When I'm trying to sleep, he curls up right next to me, which I find extremely adorable. Canada pouts a little bit at all the attention he's giving me and not him. The first time, I told him, _Suck it up, buttercup. He still loves you. See?_ I held up Kumafart at Canada, and the bear immediately asked, "Who are you?" Canada sulked in a corner for a long time.

All of the country-cats have been near either their country or their lookalike, but mostly the lookalikes. Dimah has to keep Russiacat away from Lauren, lest she throw him at France and/ or Harvey. Itabby has been rather confused when he's not around Italy. He keeps mewling and sniffing every nook and cranny of the room. I guess he wants Alex.

I hope Alex is a cat person, because when he gets back, he's going to get a lot of Itabby-love whether he likes it or not.

So, basically, the infirmary has been turned into a big cat-friendly hotel.

England keeps muttering nonsense under his breath whenever he has to stop whatever potion he's making to blow cat hair off his spell book.

"Josie!" Zack suddenly yelps. I look up to see his twin standing in the doorway a second before he barrels into her. "Why have you been ignoring me?" he asks.

"You know what you did," she answers, loosening his arms from herself.

"Wh- no I don't!" he says indignantly.

Josie looks around at the conscious people and drags Zack out by his sleeve.

_I am so bored,_ I whine to Canada.

_I am, too. Suck it up,_ he answers.

I sigh.

_What if the floor and walls were made of flypaper? We'd all be, like, stuck. Ooh, can we trap Germany in a giant piece of flypaper? Just go up to him and be all BOOM! YOU'VE BEEN FLYPAPER'D! HOW DO YA LIKE THEM APPLES?_

_Your logic is...terrifying._

I laugh. _Thanks!_

From across the room, Lauren begins humming "Ring around the rosy." I sing along with her.

_"Ring around the rosy_

_Pockets full of posies_

_Ashes, ashes_

_We all fall down..."_

She looks up from the history book and her gaze lands on me. I don't know if she knew I was still awake.

Oh, well. She knows now.

"She probably does..." Lauren mumbles, seemingly to herself.

"She probably does what?" I ask curiously.

"Well," she says, shifting onto her side to face me better, "Teacup was wondering if you know the history of 'Ring Around the Rosy'. I'm curious, myself, but he asked the question…"

It has more meaning other than flowers and spinning around in circles...?

I shrug and shake my head. "Nope."

"Do you _want_ to know?" she asks. Her expression remains the same, but her crimson eyes spark in excitement.

Narrowing my eyes a bit at this, I shrug again nonetheless. "Sure," I say.

She smiles evilly and sits up, leaning towards me. "Well, when I tell people, I like dissecting it, piece by piece. Let's start with the specific date. It's quite old—somewhere over 500 years, to be specific. Ancient as it may be, the origin can be pinpointed precisely to three years: 1347 to 1350." She pauses a bit, and I sit up as well. Kumachigi looks up at me blearily, lumbers up on my lap, and falls asleep again.

I nod, giving her the okay to continue.

"Between these three years, over one third of the population of Europe perished." Lauren's tone is creepily...happy...She stares off at a point by my elbow. I trace her line of vision to a flashlight on the table behind me. I toss it to her, and she catches it, flicking it on, and flicking off the reading light she had on next to her. She points the flashlight under her face, making it look sort of like a skull.

I get a feeling that I should be very, very afraid.

"Let's begin the discussion, shall we?" Even though I'm terrified (don't judge me, I hate scary stories!) I nod, and I hug my pillow.

"Good. The first line, _Ring around the Rosy,_ actually refers to the Black Plague, or Black Death, or Bubonic Plague—you know what I'm talking about. Anyway, one of the first physical signs of infection was red rings surrounding a red, or 'rosy,' bump, found all over the victim's body. _Pockets full of posies _has been given several meanings, some of the more popular to be that another symptom was a horrific stench because of the victim's lymph system filling with blood, and people carried around pockets full of posies to hide it. Another theory was that the people believed the disease was carried by foul air, so they made the air sweet by carrying the posies. The one I believe in, however, is that they used the posies to hide the scent of death on bodies and…everywhere."

Horrified at this, my eyes widen, and I shiver. Kumadoro sits up and listens, and he buries his head in the pillow.

"Ashes, Ashes…In the terminal phases of the disease, victims would be internally bleeding, sometimes prompting sneezing as it aggravated the breathing passages. "Ashes" is a child's approximation of a convulsion of sneezing…Now, here's the big finish. In this weakened state, a victim could, and often did, sneeze their lungs out," Lauren says.

It takes a few tries to be able to talk. "Messy..." I finally squeak.

"And the last line doesn't need much explanation. We all fall down…" Lauren ends her frightening tale with a scary smirk.

"And we teach that to _children?_" I blurt out.

Lauren lets out an insane giggle. "Yep~!" she chirps.

_Yandere..._

"Will you shut up about the yandere/ tsundere thing!" I say in exasperation. He grins and shakes his head.

I sigh and shake my head, and then I see Zack standing by the door. His shirt is bloody, and so are his hands, but for some reason, he looks like he just finished a huge laughing fit. Behind him is England, America, and Josie. I guess I was too focused on Lauren's story to notice the nations leave.

"You're covered in blood!" I yelp.

He snickers and holds up something small and shiny. "My stomach turned into machine gun," he says.

"No it didn't," England says, his nose buried in his spell book again. "The bullet simply-"

Josie cuts him off. "-shot out of him like it was shot out of a gun?"

"Yes. But that doesn't mean his stomach's a gun," England reasons, putting a handful of blue powder into a pot.

There's a flash of bright pink and whatever else's in there blows up in his face.

It's actually a lot like how Seamus Finnigan looked in the Sorcerer's Stone movie after he tried to turn his water into rum. **(I don't own Harry Potter, and I never will)**

Anyway, Zack is the first to start laughing, and gradually, the rest of us join in.

England goes from looking like a deer caught in headlights to looking very cross. "...Here, let me help," I say while suppressing a giggle. I pat his hair down into kind of what it was before it exploded.

England looks at the shiny-mirror-y part of a lamp and scowls more when he notices how thin his eyebrows got. "_You _go lie down," he snaps at Zack. "_You_ stop that," he snaps at Lauren, who was trying to break herself loose. "And _you_ quit laughing at me!" he snaps at Josh.

Zack lifts his hands in a gesture of surrender and lies down on his bed. "Happy now?" he asks.

"Yes!" England says in a way that suggests the opposite. Josie snickers and sits in a chair next to Zack.

Suddenly, I am aware that I am being watched. I look at Josh just in time to see his expression of utter betrayal before he sheepishly looks away.

"...Don't look at me like that," I say, slightly irritated.

"Like what?" he asks innocently, petting Iggycat between his folded ears.

"Like I just stabbed you!" I clarify.

"I'm not looking at you like that!" he protests.

I frown. "Yes you are..." Something clicks. "It's because I was all concerned 'cause Zack came in all bloody, isn't it?" I ask crossly.

"No..." he says, looking slightly guilty.

I scoff and roll my eyes. "I'd be concerned if _France_ came in here all bloody," I snort. Then I add to him, "No offense."

"None taken," he says.

"No, it's not!" Josh protests again.

"Alright, I'm sick of this little competition," I groan. "Until I say otherwise, both of you have been officially Friendzone'd!"

And on that happy note, I turn on my heel and walk out of the infirmary, completely ignoring Iggy's and Canada's protests. Sadly, Canada's follow me.

_Issa, just calm down! You're-_

_If you want to die, finish that sentence__,_ I threaten through my silent ranting. How could they be so inconsiderate? They're acting like I'm a prize! An object that they can win if they try hard enough!

_Josh is ready to apologize_, Canada offers.

_If anyone comes near me, I'm going to kill them._

_Oh. Okay..._

I swear, sometimes I wish I had accidentally killed one of them during one of the more violent flashbacks!

_...Well THAT wasn't very nice..._ I can tell that he said that out loud, too. I don't know how I know, but I do.

I honestly don't know how I got myself tangled into this mess. I don't know why they'd ever choose me to fight over, of all people. I'm nothing. Yami's right.

_Hey! Don't say that!_ Canada says. He said that out loud, too.

I can feel Yami's smugness. She knows she's succeeded, for now, at least.

_Well, Yami? Whaddya have to say? You were right. Come on out and gloat about it. _

She's silent. She's savoring the moment.

I hate her.

_Look, Issa. I know you're frustrated about this, and you have a good reason to be, but up and leaving won't solve anything._

_Says you._

A wave of exasperation crosses him. _Stop being childish and get back here._

_No,_ I tell him bluntly. I turn the corner and open a random door. It's empty, so I shut it behind me and lock it.

_You're acting like a brat._

The harsh comment breaks the wall of tears that I built, but I answer, _I know._

If I could shut the radio connecting our heads off, I wouldn't hesitate. But I can't, so I just sit there in silence, trying to ignore Canada and trying not to let him know how badly I wish I could curl up and die. He can tell that he took it too far, and he tries to apologize.

_I'm sorry. That was mean._

_Don't apologize for telling the truth. _

_Issa, please. Where are you?_

_I don't know, and if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Just leave me alone._

_You and I both know very well I can't do that._

_True..._

_England is spazzing out again._

_Let him. _

Canada sighs. _...Please...?_

_No._

_I'm going to let Kuma try to find you. He has a nose like a bloodhound._

_Whatever._

He sighs again. He starts trying to see through my eyes to give a hint on where I am, but I close them. _Just leave me alone,_ I think again.

_I'm not going to do that._

_Why not?_ I ask, irritated.

_Because I'm worried about you! You've been so moody lately!_

_So?_

_So, it's not like you!_

_You don't know me,_ I tell him, my sobs redoubling. _No one will ever know me. I don't even know me. _

_I know you well enough to tell that you're not usually like this,_ he says.

I don't answer him. I curl up on the floor and put my glasses on my knee.

I start wondering whether or not I should go back. _No, I shouldn't. I think that going back there and saying sorry will make up for this? It's inexcusable! Too many times I've done things like this, and they've been patient with me. They shouldn't be. They should just kill me and be done with it. It's much less of a hassle. _

_Issa, don't think like that..._

_Oh yeah? How many times have the other lookalikes tried to leave? How many times have the other lookalikes tried to kill themselves? Do they cause as much trouble as I do?_

Canada is silent for a minute.

_I didn't think so. _

There's a soft scratching on the door. "Found you!" a small voice exclaims. I remain silent. Canada knocks on the door. _You're in here?_

_...No..._

_Liar,_ he accuses playfully.

I sigh, but play along. _You got me._

_Let me in._

_No thanks._

A few minutes pass, and the door opens anyway. "Picked the lock," he explains, holding a metal hanger. Kumashiro puts his paws on my head. "Who're you?" he asks. I sit up, scoop Mr. Kumahaiiro in my arms, and bury my face in his fur.

"Oh, so you accept help from the bear, but not from me?" Canada asks, laughing.

"Mmhmm," I grunt.

"You got your glasses dirty," he says. He's silent for a few seconds, then the end of my glasses are pushed gently into my hand.

"Thank you," I mumble.

"...Got anything to say?"

I think for a minute. "I hate boys," I say at last.

Canada laughs. "I'm a boy," he says in a mock-indignant voice.

"I know," I say.

He laughs again. "Just wait. This romance stuff gets harder."

"Thanks for the pep-talk, Mr. Positive," I grumble, getting a mouthful of polar bear fur in my mouth.

"Just giving you something to look forward to!" he says.

"I hate you..." I say playfully.

"Oh, I know," he says, patting my head. I growl at him.

"C'mon, let's go back," he says at last.

I shake my head into Mr. Kumaaka's fur. "Iggy'll be really mad at me."

"The longer you make him wait, the angrier he'll be," he reminds me.

I sigh, but stand up anyway.

_I'm sorry,_ I tell him.

_For what?_

_Running away, being rebellious, all that happy crap. _

_You're a teenager. All teens are that bad at one point or another._

I smile and hug the Canadian. _You're a good dude, Mattie._

_Thanks. You're pretty okay, yourself,_ he smiles while returning my hug.

I look apprehensively at the infirmary door. _Alright,_ I think tiredly, _Let's get this over with..._

**TA DA**

**:B Hai guies. **

**ONE! What's Germany's demon's name?**

**TWO! Will Rin and the other Axis lookalikes be okay?**

**RANDOM QUESTION! Name all the things on the walls in your room! **

**FOUR! Did you know the true meaning of ring around the rosy before this? Does it scare you? **

**FIVE! Have you ever been Friendzone'd or Friendzone'd someone?**

**Whew! That took a couple days! It probably would've helped if I didn't procrastinate so much. Darn shiny objects. :U**

**Hey hey hey, you guys should follow me on Tumblr! (I don't own. Duh) **

** .com**

**You might get a sneak peak at upcoming chapters for this story and the Effects! :3**

**Pssh. I really could use the followers. I have eleven followers. I'm not Tumblr-famous. I'm so unpopular I don't even get anon hate. :B Anyway, my blog is mostly Hetalia pictures that I reblog. I could never ever ever draw like that. :B I write, okay? I don't draw. Drawing is for people who are good at drawing. **

**Anyway, that's pretty much it. **

**THAT'S ALL, FOLKS! :B**


	14. Body Swap

**GUESS whose SICK!**

**Nope, guess again. **

**ME. :U **

**I just have a little summer cold. No biggie. Anyway, I went to camp this week, and I got a massive sunburn. So, this morning, I was MISERABLE. I hardly got any sleep, my nose was all stuffed up, I had a headache, my throat hurt like crazy, and to top it off, I couldn't move my arms at all because of the sunburn, or it would hurt a lot. I woke up, walked over to my mom, and burst into tears. I'm serious, I felt that bad. **

**Anyway, she had me use that chloroseptic stuff, like the red spray stuff that you spray to make your throat numb. I DON'T LIKE IT. I had actually stopped crying, but then my throat just felt so weird that I started crying harder. **

**It was probably really really funny to watch. XD **

**And that's why I haven't updated this week. If I can finish this by Saturday or Sunday morning, then that would be great, because I'm going back to camp for another week Sunday afternoon. AND I'M USING A LOT MORE SUNSCREEN THIS TIME. :U **

**Okay, so, last time, it cut off my Tumblr URL. It's memoranda 678 dot tumblr dot com, if you care. :3 **

**CINNAMON ROLLS FOR Kitana Lunara, Tabby-tan, Art and Soul, caset290, el18m, fireflame1801, CelticGirl7, and russia fan! :D CINNAMON ROLLS ARE YUMMY! :D **

**Y'know, with me talking about crying and food, it makes me sound like I'm PMS'ing, but I'm actually not. I don't think. Maybe I am. Anybody else want chocolate? :B Just kidding. I'm not. **

**Chocolate would be nice, though. ^_^**

**SHUTTING UP NOW. :B**

Issa's POV

As you might've imagined, Iggy threw a fit.

A big one.

I'll spare you the description of it, because it's happened before, and you've seen those.

Towards the end of it, I was staring at my shoes guiltily. Then, an idea popped into my head.

"Do you have any idea-" Iggy started. He stopped as I gave him a random hug.

"Wha- hey, what are you doing...?" he asked, his face turning a bright red.

I shrugged as I let go. "I dunno. Continue."

Iggy had a puzzled look on his face. After a while, he shrugged. "Don't let it happen again," he said, ushering me back into the hospital room.

_That was clever._

_Thanks,_ I told Canada.

I lied on my bed, looking anywhere but Zack or Josh. I couldn't quite tell whether or not I was ready to forgive them just yet.

And that's where I am now, staring at the ceiling.

Lauren is asleep, as is most everyone. The lookalikes who aren't asleep are having flashbacks. From the look on Dimah's face, I'd say he's in Russia's land of sunflowers and pipes.

I hope Russia's okay.

Can Dimah hear Russia's thoughts...? He hasn't said anything about it...Does that mean Russia is...No. No, he's got to be alright. I mean, he's RUSSIA.

I look at the floor, and pick up Lauren's mysterious history book. Opening it, I see that it's in German. I sigh and close it again, setting it on the floor by Lauren's bed.

**(Here's where I got Writer's block and had to stop. Then, I went to camp and got back on Friday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ART AND SOUL, WHOSE BIRTHDAY WAS ON THE TWENTY-THIRD~~! *showers her with rainbow confetti and churros*)**

Suddenly, a scream pierces the mostly-silent room. I jerk with a gasp to a sitting position, staring at the direction of the shriek.

"Lauren!" I gasp when I see the blood gushing from everywhere on her body: the cuts Germany made, and then the deep one on her neck.

"Oh my- Lauren!" Iggy cries, dropping everything and running over to her. Prussia, Canada, and France go over too. I probably would, too, if I wasn't paralyzed with shock.

Canada and France shouted, "Mon Dieu!" while Prussia yelped, "Mein Gott!"

Lauren mouths something wordlessly, and her thrashing slows to a stop as she passes out.

I jump up and walk apprehensively over there, stopping at the foot of Lauren's bed. Soon, Lauren's eyes flutter back open.

They're brown again...

...Creepy...

Anyway, Lauren sees Iggy staring worriedly at her, and notices Canada is still stitching her up. She lies still until Canada is finished.

A flash of black by her head makes me snap my gaze in that direction. It's a thin black cat.

...With...red...eyes...

"Bad kitty!" Prussia says.

"Go away," Iggy says crossly.

The familiar-looking feline glares at them all and irritably flicks his tail.

"_I daresay I have a right to be with my human,"_ Teacup says.

I take a step back, shock, confusion and anger welling up inside me. Canada glances in my direction.

_Okay, I know that's a talking cat, but why are you freaking out this bad?_ he asks me. I ignore him and try to compose myself.

Lauren glares up at her demon. "You," she snarls. "Why are you here? Did you do this?" She lifts up her heavily stitched leg.

"_I wanted to see the world for myself. Now I can. And, yeah, I did. I needed to get out, and it involved a few scratches along the way," _Teacup said snootily. He then bats some black stuff on all of Lauren's cuts, which heal them after a few minutes, and she sits up.

I find my courage, walk up to the cat, and smack him on the head.

Hard.

"Bad. Cat," I growl through gritted teeth.

_What was that for?_

_This- this THING. Is the reason Lauren killed herself,_ I snarl in my head. Canada backs away from me.

While I was ranting to Mattie about how much I hate Teacup, Lauren has untied herself, and she wobbles out of the room. England, who was, at first, entranced by Teacup's appearance, notices this and jogs out after her. He leads her back.

And then, when his back was turned, she grabs his spell book, and she runs off, Teacup trailing after her. I get up and follow.

I lost her along the way, so I start checking random places. She's not in the kitchen, or our bedroom, or the courtyard. Getting bored, I check the basement.

What greets me is candles on the floor in the strange chalk markings on the floor. Lauren sits in the middle of the markings, and she pays me no attention as the door squeaks open, announcing my arrival. She chants England's chant from, I think, Episode 13. Y'know, when Iggy's cursing Germany.

Oh, irony.

Anyway, she recites the chant, and the floor glows. I gasp and cover my eyes as it gets too bright.

"Mein Gott!" Lauren says in wonder. "It worked!"

Suddenly, she gasps and falls over, twitching for a few seconds before lying still. I clap my hand over my mouth to keep from screaming.

In the pentagram-y shape is Russia, a struggling form in black on his lap.

"You called?"

Rin's POV

His eyes, which I thought were a piercing blue, were completely gold.

I stumble back a few steps. Behind me, Russia gasps, too. There's a sudden snapping sound- four snapping sounds, to be exact. A pair of arms grab me from behind, pinning my arms to my side. I scream as the room sinks away in a turquoise light.

"Mein Gott!" a voice yelps. "It worked!"

"You called?" Russia asked.

I fight harder. "Let go of me!" I yell hoarsely. "They're still in there! You have to go back!"

"Shh," Russia says comfortingly. "It's okay..."

"It's NOT okay!" I shriek, all dignity gone. "He's going to kill them, and it's all my fault!" I sob, still thrashing.

He keeps telling me things in Russian, which just freaks me out even more. It's the same tone Mr. Nameless used after he'd beat Sydney and Alex up. I pummel Russia's chest and arms, the only thing I can reach. He only frowns.

"Rin...? Russia...?" a voice calls. I stop struggling long enough to see it's Issa, who's kneeling next to an unconscious Lauren. Wary of Germany's words, I ignore her. So what if she doesn't care about me?

But, wait, I thought she was in the hospital room, barely able to stay awake?

But what if Germany was lying, just trying to make me join his side?

Which brings me to yet another question: why me?

"Let me go," I say again to Russia.

"You must be calm, _da_?" he answers.

"I _am_ calm!" I exclaim heatedly.

"You do not sound calm."

"Just let me go!"

He shakes his head. I thrash and scream in frustration and pain, needing to get away.

"Rin, it's okay!" Issa says, moving from Lauren to me. "Nice to see you," she smiles at Russia.

"Nice to be back," he grins in response.

"It's-not-okay-!" I shriek through gritted teeth.

"What happened?" she asks.

"Japan!" I say. "He helped at first, helped me get them back! And- and then- and then he dumped us in Germany!"

Issa gives a frustrated growl at my words and mutters, "Japan, you jerk...!" Then she shakes her head, and says to me, "And then what?"

"Germany wanted me to help him..." I sob, hiding my face with my hands. "I s-said no, and now he's going to k-kill Sydney and A-Alex!"

"He would've killed them in the end, even if you helped him..." Issa says.

"I can't lose them..." I whisper into my palms.

Issa doesn't say anything for a few minutes. Then she reaches out and awkwardly pats the top of my head. "...What was that for?" I ask, peeking up at her.

"I dunno. I just didn't know what to say, so...yeah..." she says, scratching the back of her head.

All of a sudden, I feel England's presence. It didn't just gradually come, like it normally does; it was just there.

Lauren stirs. "What the bloody heck was that...?" she slurs. "Huh? Issa, where...? Russia, Rin...! You're okay!" She sits up and rubs her head. Lauren looks around. "I say, how did I get in the basement?" she muses aloud.

Issa looks at her. "...Lauren...?" she asks tentatively.

Lauren's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "No...What do you mean?" She looks down at herself and turns a bright red. "Oh my word...!"

Issa suddenly gives a small, disbelieving laugh. "England?" she guesses.

"Yes...!" Lauren says. "But- I don't-...How did this happen? I never fully completed a spell, so...!" England in Lauren's body babbles. He stops. "My citizen knows magic, doesn't she?" he asks Issa.

Issa nods. "Yup."

"Oh, I'm so bloody proud of her," England says. "So, I take it she summoned Russia..." he says, pointing at Russia. His finger then points at me. "So, how...?"

"She was in the room at the time," Russia answers. "Germany threw her through a mirror."

"I'm okay, though..." I mumble sourly.

"Oh, dear. You'd better let me have a look," England says anyways, moving closer.

I sit motionless, still, for some strange reason, in Russia's lap. Apparently, due to the large bruise on the back of my head, I may have a concussion, and I have a few deep cuts that need stitches. Thankfully, England takes the scrape on my hand as another injury caused by being thrown through a window-mirror.

"It'll just heal in a few hours," I mutter, mostly to myself.

England looks at me through Lauren's eyes. "Weren't you gone for that?"

"I guess..."

"Then how did you know?"

"Germany explained it all. Apparently, if we don't stop the lookalike transformation, you'll die, and the American, Jack, or whatever his name is will be the new England," I say.

Her (his) face paled. "Oh, dear..." she (he) says.

The door at the top of some stairs that I didn't notice before opens, and England's body flies down, a maniac grin on his face. "Did it work? Did it work?" Lauren asks in his voice.

"Yeah, but did you notice the difference?" Issa asks. She seems amused.

Lauren looks down at her male body. "Yeah. I'm you, Arthur~!" she sings.

England chuckles. "Where did you learn that?"

"Oh, uh, that one episode of Hetalia," Lauren answers, sharing a grin with Issa.

"Your first time doing magic?" England asks, beaming.

"Yep~!" Lauren chirps proudly.

"Oh, well, the body switch is only a minor setback. I suppose the magic switched us because you were using my things?" England guesses.

"I dunno, maybe," Lauren says. Then she looks at Russia and me. "You guys okay? That _dumkoff_ didn't hurt you too bad?"

"I am fine," Russia says with a childish grin.

I give a noncommittal shrug. Lauren comes closer and puts her arm around me. "Hey, it's okay..." she says softly.

_Don't lie_, I think. _I'm sick of people lying to me..._

But I accept her comfort nonetheless, pretending it's Sydney's arm around my shoulders, and Alex's warmth behind me.

Somehow, they manage to coax me up the stairs and back into the hospital room. I shiver and sweat repeatedly, but I hardly notice it.

How will he kill them? Will he torture them first, or just make a quick deal of it? Will he even do it himself, or will he make Japan, or one of his soldiers do it? We he have them hanged, or shot? A lethal injection, maybe?

Lethal...

My eyes scan the room. Full of people. However, behind the doors of that cupboard, I'm guessing whole bottles of painkillers and other pills sit untouched. Waiting.

You see, the pills have one purpose in their life: to be swallowed. They don't care if they're taken one-by-one or all at once. Maybe, the pills can't be alone. That's why we take them in pairs, right? What if those pill couples are friends with other pill couples? I mean, maybe the pills are very sociable creatures. Maybe it tears them apart when their jobs are completed with only one other companion. I should take several couples at once; spare them of the pain of being alone.

And in return...

...In return, they'll give me my freedom...

"Rin, what are you doing?" Issa's voice cuts through my trance. I blink several times. I am on my feet, the doors of the cupboard open, a bottle of pills in my hands. Gently, I replace it back on the shelf and close the doors. Turning around, I see that more than just a few curious eyes are on me; everyone in the room, nations and humans alike, are watching me.

I shake my head, embarrassed, and return to a spinny chair in the corner of the room.

A sleek black cat with red eyes twists around my ankle. I frown and jerk my legs up, sitting cross-legged on the chair. The cat sits on its haunches and almost glares at me.

"_You should have done it,"_ the cat says.

Randomly being teleported to a different country has made me open-minded to strange phenomenons like this. I kind of accept the fact that the cat is talking and answer, "Should have done what?"

"_Took the pills. Killed yourself."_

My frown turns into a scowl. "And what makes you say that?" I demand.

The cat licks its paw and grooms its ear. "_It would have saved you a great deal of pain and ridicule,"_ it says nonchalantly.

"Teacup!" a voice says sharply. "Leave her alone, you've ruined enough lives."

"_I was merely telling the truth..."_ the cat, now named Teacup says, shrugging his kitty shoulders.

"You're lying, cat," Issa spits, looking like she wants to kick Teacup to kingdom come.

Teacup only shoots her a glare, standing up and strutting away.

"Don't listen to him," Issa says to me.

I only lower my gaze to my palms.

"C'mere, lemme talk to you," she says, beckoning towards the door. I follow her; it's not like I care what happens to me at this point. She leads me out into the hallway, and into a room a few doors down.

Once we were inside, she asks, "Were you really going to do it?"

"Probably..." I mumble.

"...Why?" she asks.

"Why would you care?" I snap suddenly. When she gives me a confused look, I continue. "I mean, you're the big hero-superstar of this whole ordeal. You've got a _million_ other things to worry about."

"I know..." she says. "But I'm sure a million and one won't kill me..."

"No..." I say. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine..."

"You were this close to killing yourself, and you say you're fine?" she asks while raising an eyebrow.

"...Yes."

"I don't think so, missy," Issa says, cracking a small smile. "Nice try, though."

I let a small smile flicker across my lips. It does seem a bit ridiculous; my attempt at suicide, and then brushing it off like it's nothing.

"Okay...don't listen to anything Teacup has to say. If it wasn't for the circumstances, I'd kill the little fleabag. But, seeing as that would kill Lauren, too...Anyways, if he confronts you like that, either tell him to beat it, or just kick him. I'd suggest kicking him."

"...Violent, much?" I ask. "I take it you're not a cat person?"

Issa laughs. "No, I like cats, it's just...Teacup isn't a cat, really. He's a demon. He possessed Lauren, and he told her to kill herself. Just like what he was doing back there, I suppose. And, she did, and that's why she's here..."

I nod. "Okay."

"And...Uh...Do you need to talk about it?" she asks awkwardly.

"Not really..." I say. However, in all truth, I would just like to explain everything to her. I want to burst into tears, beg her to go and rescue them because I'm too weak. But I can't; I do not want to appear weak. Being weak is one thing; _showing_ weakness is a complete other.

I know I can't try something like that again. Suicide is weakness. It's giving up.

"So..." I start, just trying to change topics. "Your blood explodes, right?"

"Yep," she says, shrugging. "I'm hoping from now on I'll be able to keep it in my body where it belongs."

I nod. "And, did you ever find out which country makes it react?"

She nods. "Yeah, it's Italy. It's a good thing he's here and not wandering around, who-knows-where doing who-knows-what."

I nod, suddenly feeling awkward. "Yeah...Good..."

Issa smiles again. "If you ever need to talk, just tell me, okay?"

I nod. "Alright then."

Issa hugs me without warning, and I am caught off-guard for a minute. Then I hug her back. Suddenly, she frowns and pulls away. "What's that on your shirt?" she asks.

I look down at my front. A strange, pea-sized lump sits out on the front of my shirt. With two fingers, I pick it off and examine it.

Issa's eyes widen. "Oh, no," she gasps.

"What? What's wrong?" I ask.

"Squish it," she demands in a shaky voice. "Squish it!"

I frown, but roll the black thing between my fingers. As I did so, I heard a small buzz sound. My eyes widen in realization. "That...that was..."

Issa nods, horrified. "That was a microphone of some sort...!"

"...It was Germany," I say. "On my shirt...when he...When he threw me through the mirror, he grabbed my shirt!"

"And he just got lucky enough to hear the information he'd literally kill for."

**(DUN DUN DUNNN. And, here's just a random snippet that Art and Soul thought of. :3)**

England's POV

I watch as Issa leads Rin out of the room. I shrug; I think she's learned how to control the flashbacks. She won't be gone long, most likely.

I look over to Lauren. She's on her bed, looking at something on her computer. And she's...giggling...?

"Lauren...?" I ask. I shudder. Her voice with my words is just...unusual...

"Not now, Fluffy, I'm working." Lauren seems to be trying hard not to laugh or smile, but when she looks down at the screen, and then down at her (my) body, she bursts into a fit of giggles, kicking her feet in the air as her (my) hands covered her (my) mouth, her (my) green eyes closing shut in delight.

I can't stand it. "_What_ is so _funny_?" I ask in a slightly annoyed tone. I walk around to look at the screen. She clicks on the red X in the corner, but not before I see it.

She was looking at...a shirtless picture of most of the male nations...

**Okey, THAT'S the end of it. I just wanted to put that in because it made me laugh. **

**QUESTION ONE~! Did you miss Russia? I know I did~! **

**QUESTION TWO~~! Do you like Episode thirteen? **

**RANDOM QUESTION~~~! Do you have any pets? If so, what is their name?**

**QUESTION FOUR~~~~! What's going to be Germany's next move, now that he knows it's Italy's blood?**

**QUESTION FIVE~~~~~! What's Iggy gonna do about Lauren? XD**

**Heh heh heh. XD So, yes, I'm alive, and no, I did not die. I was at camp for the most part of two weeks. **

**So, I know this is really delayed, but look at the new review boxes! :U How about reviewing~~? **


	15. Trolling at its finest

**AGH NU HELP SCHOOL. KILLING ME. TODAY WAS THE FIRST DAY AND I HAD HOMEWORK. LIKE, **_**HOMEWORK**_**. ONLY ONE SYLLABUS SHEET SIGN-Y THING. ALGEBRA AND SCIENCE. D: **

**Free get out of school passes for Kitana Lunara, Art and Soul, caset290, fireflame1801, russia fan, CelticGirl7, AkitaNeruWolfLover, hetaliaforever123, Valknut, ClaireFeradeNyaan, MistMaiden52, and Charlotte and Rashka. (Oh, how I wish I could do this. Then I'd make myself a million of those. -_-)**

**Hey hey hey, how many of you have heard of the song "If It Means A Lot To You" by A Day to Remember? If you have, you gets a churro. If you're GOING to, you get a cookie. :3 **

**Oh, and here are RQ's that I forgot to answer for myself**

**Chapter ten: My earliest memory is when I was either two or three, and I was hiding behind a Laz-E Boy (do not own) chair-that I still have today! :D- because I didn't want a bath. :3**

**Chapter eleven: My favorite animal is a polar bear. :3**

**Chapter twelve: I had "Moose tracks" ice cream cake. Chocolate and peanut butter...Mmmm...**

**Chapter thirteen: Hoo boy, here we go...So, I have two red walls and two tan walls. On one of the red ones, there's a giant whiteboard that takes up most of that wall. On the other red wall, there's a window. On the tan wall that connects to the red-window-wall, is my "Wall of Awesome." It's where I hang papers that are awesome and make me happy. I have pictures of Prussia, Russia, Romano, and England that my friend Inazumacat1127 drew for me (Miss ya, Cat~! :D) and a couple pictures of old friends, a mirror, and a closet. On the tan wall that connects to the red-whiteboard-wall has the door to get in, a world map and a plate-thingy that I got when I was born. It has my name and weight and how long I was when I was born, so, ja. Und that's it. :3 My room is very personalized. **

**Chapter fourteen: Ja, I has a doggeh. She's nine years old, has black and tan fur (she looks like a Rottweiler, but she's got the coat of a Golden Retriver. I has no idea what she is. Maybe an English Shepard, but I dunno) and her name isht Kiki. THE MOST BEAUTIFULEST DOGGEH IN THE WORLD. :D In my opinion. I'm sure your doggehs are adorable, too. :3**

**PRUSSIA'S BACKSTORY IS COMPLETELY FICTIONAL. IT CAME FROM MY MIND AS A LAME EXCUSE FOR A STORY MINI-TWIST. IT IS IN NO WAY HISTORICALLY ACCURATE OR OFFICIAL TO THE ANIME/ MANGA. **

**Hey. Hey, guys. Every time I write "Harvey," I no longer think of France. I think of Harvey Dent from The Dark Knight which I do not own. :3 I recently watched it, so..."Two-faced Harvey." HALF HIS FREAKING FACE IS BURNED TO A CRISP. :U I really like his quote, "You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." And it's really ironic. XD Lololol. Cruel, cruel irony. Sorry, I just had to share that. :B **

**Alright, I wrote that a long time ago. Now I'm almost three weeks in the school year, I think, and less homework, yay~! :D Anyway, mein writing buddeh is currently unable to write at the moment, so she'll catch up later. I was waiting for her, to see if she had any new ideas that I needed to match, but she gave me the okay to just wing it. o3o So here I am, winging it. YOU CAN BRICK/ TOMATO ME AFTER THIS CHAPTER. :U HOLD YOUR FIRE!**

**I DON'T OWN NUTELLA IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. **

**Alright. I'll shut up and start writing BECAUSE THIS IS WAY WAY WAY OVERDUE. :D YAY FOR PROCRASTINATION~! **

Issa's POV

"England. England. England. I need you. Iggy. France, shut up and let me talk to Iggy," I say. Watching England in Lauren's body fight with France about something while Lauren in England's body watches from the sidelines when I need to tell him something important was not something that I want to do at the moment. Canada knows already about Rin's bug (considering he sees and hears everything I see and hear, and vice-versa), but he can't make them stop fighting. From what I've heard, England was lecturing Lauren in a closet, for some strange reason, and France found them there and jumped to conclusions.

"ARTHUR FREAKING KIRKLAND!" I roar at last. Everyone jumps- England and France, Lauren, Canada, Rin, and even Teacup, who was sitting at Lauren's (England's, I guess) feet, although he pretended not to.

"What's gotten into you!" England yells at me.

"I've been standing here for five minutes, saying your name over and over, but that's not the point! The point is that Germany bugged Rin and found out it's Italy's blood!" I shout back.

Lauren's tan-ish face goes pale as the information sinks in. "Wh-what?!" he gasps.

Rin holds up the squished remains of the microphone. "He must've put this on my shirt when he threw me through the mirror. He had it all planned."

"You squished it?" England asks.

"Yes."

England takes the mechanical skeleton with Lauren's fingers and looks at it carefully. "It's German-engineered, alright," he confirms grimly.

Italy comes skipping up the hallway. "Ve~ Hi, everyone~!" he chirps. He stops with a scared "Wah~!" when Lauren trails England's poison-green eyes on him, and he hides behind France. "I didn't do it~!" he wails.

"Ita, it's me!" Lauren says. "That's England," she adds, pointing at her own body.

"Ve~...I don't really get it, but whatever," he says, shrugging.

"Italy, you're going to have to stay close to someone who can protect you," England says slowly, trying not to frighten Italy. But, I guess with England looking like Lauren and Lauren looking like England, then...it makes...sense? Wait, no it doesn't...What?... I confused myself.

_You're confusing me, too_, Canada says.

_It's confusing shiz, magic,_ I tell him, shrugging.

"Okay," Italy says simply, then he turns around and goes skipping through the hall, chirping, "America~! I need you~!"

Lauren's face looks exasperated. "At _all times_. That includes now!" England yells as he jogs down the hall Italy just vanished in.

Canada silently sighs. _Oh, Italy..._

_He's so cute, though~!_

Canada shoots me a glance that's half-disapproving and half-amused. I stick my tongue out at him and "kidnap" Kumawhatnot, who was sitting at Canada's feet. Putting him in my hood with a small warning of, "Hold on!", I grab Rin's and Lauren's (England's) hands.

_Hey...!_

_Suck it up, buttercup!_

I felt like running, so I ran to the infirmary, practically dragging Rin and Lauren behind me, leaving France to do whatever France does in his spare time. Kumahaiiro's teeth were chattering as he bounced up and down in my hood; he had his little polar bear arms around my neck. He was kinda like a koala.

_Australia's koala is scary,_ Canada throws in randomly.

_I know. I've seen pictures of him,_ I tell him, sending him a mental picture of the Australia pic.

I reach the infirmary. Opening the door, I stride in, letting go of both of the hands and removing the big blob of white fur from my hood. I drop down on Rin's spinny chair, and Rin sits awkwardly on the side of my bed. Lauren sits beside Dimah, who doesn't seem certain on why England is sitting practically on his lap (This made me laugh. That's gonna take some explaining).

"So..." I say. "Can you explain the lookalike process-thingy to me? You said something about it, in the basement."

Rin nods. "It works in phases. There are six phases, more or less. The first phase depends on whether or not the nation in question has a curl. Because if he or she does, then the lookalike gets that curl, too."

"Okay. I got my curl a while ago," I say, flicking it. I immediately regret that decision, screwing up my face in pain.

"You're okay?"

"Yeah, it's just...if you touch the curl..._bad stuff happens_," I say in a whisper.

"...Bad stuff..." she repeats, raising an eyebrow.

I nod. She shrugs. "Alex freaked out when he thought I was going to touch his curl, so, alright," she says. "Anyway, the second phase is for any wounds the lookalikes have to be healed."

"Check," I say.

"That explains it. These should start healing any time, now," she says, gingerly rolling up her pants leg and pivoting her ankle, displaying the cuts. As I watch, skin seems to crawl over the jagged red marks, and the violent crimson shade dies down to a pink.

"...Gross," I decide after watching her cuts heal. She smiles.

"As I was saying, Phase Three is seeing the nation's memories," Rin says. "I've started flashing-back, but I was so distraught that I kept pushing them away. Phase Four is the nation and lookalike communicating with telepathy. I guess it's because they're becoming one."

I grin at the last statement and look at Mattie.

_I'M GONNA BE ONE WITH CANADA!_ I shriek in my mind.

_Keep it down! I know!_

"Phase Four...hasn't happened to me yet. I'm dreading it. I don't want to know what Japan's thinking. I don't want _him_ to know what _I'm_ thinking. I don't like him," Rin says; clearly this has been bothering her. I'm not sure how to respond to this, so I remain silent, but I put a comforting hand on her knee.

She smiles at me and continues. "Phase Five happens to the nations. The more memories a lookalike sees, the more transparent the nation becomes." She pauses for a second and continues with, "Germany said Phase Six is extremely painful to both. The nation-" Rin stops as someone else's words overlap her's.

"-disappears for good, and the lookalike takes the place as the representative of that country," Prussia finishes.

Everyone in the room (I suppose everyone was listening. We weren't being that quiet, and everyone would most likely want to know what the maple's going on) stops and stares at the albino. He slouches in his chair, staring at his shoes almost guiltily.

"...How did you know that?" Rin asks.

Prussia finally looks up, but he's staring at all the nations in the room in a very un-Prussia-like fashion. His eyes were just so..._sad_. "No one remembers?"

"Remembers what?" Harvey asks.

"Rome, not even you?"

Rome shakes his head in his seat by Romano and, duh, his Spanish stalker. "_Mia dispace_, Prussia..."

"So...no one remembers that...the first representative of Prussia...was a girl?"

Silence fills the room.

_WHAAA...?_

_Don't ask me...! He never told me...!_

Prussia, for once, doesn't seem to like the amount of attention he's getting, so he explains. "It was before the Teutonic Order...Her human name was Monika. Prussia was just starting out. I was training to be a knight. I thought she was a princess." At this, he gives a small chuckle. "She saw my natural chibi-awesomeness and wanted me to be her guard. I think it was because we were both albino. But mostly because I was the awesome-est little chibi in the entire world!

"Anyway, I would stand guard outside her room every night and follow her around, and do guard-things. But, sometimes, I would see things that were not awesome. I guess it was other chibi-nations, and they're still not awesome, even after all the years fighting the Awesome Me. And the little unawesome cuts I'd get during training up and left. Then, both me and Monika got really sick at the same time. I went into a coma at the same time she did. Woke up...my princess was gone. She couldn't have been older than I was at the time, because my nation came into an awesome little blob over Europe around the time I, the Awesome Gilbert, was born. I..." he hesitates for a long time. "...I loved her. Yes, it was chibi-young-puppy-love, but still love!" he adds indignantly, even though no one's snickered or made a comment his entire backstory. After a few minutes of silence, he fumes, "Well don't just sit there and gawk at me like that! It's not awesome!"

_I didn't even know the word "Gawk" was in his vocabulary._

_He's smarter than he lets on._

I move closer to the ex-nation and put my arms around his neck. He holds out a long sigh, then hugs me back. "I'm so sorry," I tell him.

"Way way wayyyyy before your time. Nothing you could've done. Nothing _anyone_ could've done," he mutters back.

I don't like how sad and hopeless and hollow he sounds. It's most definitely not awesome, and just not natural.

_You can say that again,_ Canada thinks softly.

"Well, there's got to be something we can do now," England says determinedly. Wait, when did he get in here...? Oh, well.

Rin suddenly gasps and clamps her hands over her ears, mumbling, "No. No, please. Get out. Stay away from me."

I guess Phase Four has taken effect on her.

"I need to get away from all of you," she tells us in a shaky voice. "Don't tell me anything important." She pauses for a second, furrows her eyebrows in anger, and mutters, "Don't tell me what to do."

"Okay," I tell her, leading her out of the infirmary.

"He's talking to me," she whispers to me. "He's talking to me in my head." Her eyes are wide with fear, and she's trembling. She looks truly terrified right now.

"It's okay," I tell her. "It's gonna be okay. England's going to make a magic something, and he'll be able to stop this." I glare into her eyes. "Japan, I'm talking to you. I don't want you to talk to her. I don't want you to invade her senses or anything like that; you're just gonna leave her alone. Or I promise that I'll find you and bash your head in with Canada's hockey stick. And from his memories, he's a freaking awesome hockey player. And I'm pretty sure I've inherited his skills. So the hockey stick might just be my new favorite weapon."

And I grin evilly, concluding my speech.

"...He doesn't seem scared," Rin reports.

"That's just 'cause he hasn't seen Canada on the ice."

A voice from my feet asks, "Who are you?"

"Aw, Kumawhatsit followed me," I coo, picking up the bear. "Kuma, tell Rin how good your owner is when he plays hockey."

"He knocked a couple of people's teeth out in one swing," he reports. "He likes to hit people out of his way."

"...I felt a jolt of fear from him," Rin says, smirking a bit. She pauses and adds seemingly to herself, "Don't give me that. I know it was you."

I snort in laughter. "Nice, Japan. Nice."

"He is indignant."

"I'm sure he is. He's just an emotionally-constipated old grandfather."

"He agrees with you about the old part," Rin tells me. "The emotionally-constipated part...well, he kind of does agree."

I laugh. "Japan's weird."

"I know," Rin says. She pauses, gasps, and then laughs. "He cross-dresses sometimes!"

I giggle harder. "Why am I not surprised?"

There's a sudden shout from up the hall from where we just left. "Who was that?!" someone is yelling.

Rin looks up the hall, and then at me. "You go," she says. "I'm not letting Japan get any information."

"You'll be okay?" I ask, truly concerned.

She nods. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll be okay."

"I'm leaving Mr. Kumajava with you. He can be kind of..." I make circles with my finger around my temple, "...but he's good to talk to."

"Thank you," she says, accepting the furry package I hand over to her.

"I'll be back," I tell her.

"I'll be here," she says. "With a polar bear."

I smile and dash back up the corridor. "What happened?" I ask. A few people have circled China, who was talking almost incoherently.

"...and _then_, there was this person, and they tackled me like Lauren does, aru! And I don't know who it was, aru! It couldn't've been _you_," -he points at me- "because you had Japan's lookalike with you! And this person also had some sort of crossbow, aru!"

"Well, what did they look like?" Canada asks.

"I didn't get a good look at him, aru," China says ruefully.

"What was he wearing?"

"I didn't see that either, aru."

"Well, for the love of-" starts England.

"It's _dark_!" China protests. "And they were gone before I could turn on the light, aru!"

"Well, did you at _least_ get the gender?" England asks, obviously at the end of his fuse.

China looks down like a guilty child being scolded. "No, aru..."

"Do you have any proof of this mysterious person?"

"...No, aru," he repeats.

"Then I suggest we turn in and call it a day," England says, rubbing Lauren's temples.

_That's not a very good idea..._

_I agree. China's not one to spread around tall tales like that. Maybe he exaggerates a bit, but never an outright lie..._

"Wait...!" Jia Li calls. Once the attention is on her, she blushes and seems to regret her outburst, but she continues shyly, "I can see China's memory, aru. He's not lying, aru. There really was a person."

"Were you able to answer any of my questions, love?" England asks, turning on a more motherly tone so Jia Li might not be embarrassed further.

"W-well, the person's shadow had their hair in a bun," she says. "I think it might be female, aru. A male with long hair is also likely..."

"See?!" China cries triumphantly. "I told you, aru! I'm _not_ crazy!"

England just stands there frowning Lauren's frown. "I think Austria should invest in some manner of security...," he muses to himself.

"Yeah, no kidding," America huffs as he passes with Italy in tow.

"U-uh...maybe you saw me...?" someone asks. I jump and whirl around, because it's not a voice I've gotten used to. Then I have to suppress a fangirl squeal.

"Lithuania~!" Russia chirps, waving from the doorway. He's shirtless, and covered in stitches.

The Lithuanian, who appeared from the shadows with his hair in a ponytail, jumps and cowers behind me. "He won't hurt you," I tell him softly.

"You don't know his powers!" he hisses back.

"I challenge that, my good sir," I say in a British accent. England scowls at me, and I'm sure I'm going to get a lecture later on how badly I've butchered his accent.

"I know, but Russia, in the past-" he stops suddenly. "You're human," he tells me blankly. "You didn't hear any of that! He's Ivan, and I'm Toris! N-nice to meet you! Ahahah~!" he laughs nervously at the end, and shakes my hand rather forcefully.

"It's okay. I already know everything with the nations and such," I say.

"I-is that what the distress call was about, M-Mr. Russia?"

"Somewhat," he says, smiling.

Lithuania looks around, confused. He sees Jia Li, Lauren (England in her body), and Harvey, who was hovering next to France. "How many humans do you _have_ here!?" he yelps, backing away from me.

"Oh, well, there's..." Russia starts mumbling to himself, counting on his fingers, "...fifteen! I think..."

I count everyone in my head, and that seems about right. Well, thirteen now. Alex and Sydney are elsewhere...

"W-well..._why_?!"

"This will take a while to explain...," England says. "Please come in, Lithuania."

Lithuania just stares at him.

"...I'm England," he says. "There's been a slight mix-up..."

"Th-then who's...," Lithuania starts, pointing at England's body.

"I'm Lauren~!" she chirps, flailing England's arms. France snickers; it's not often he sees England- or his body- move around like this.

"O-oh. Okay...," he says. "Oh, wait-" he pulls a walkie-talkie from his pocket and says, "Latvia, Estonia. There's no danger. You guys can come to the...second floor. It's a hospital room." There are muffled responses that I can't make out over the static.

"I'm going back to Rin," I say to anyone who's listening, and then I walk back that direction.

"Everything's okay?" she asks when I enter the room she's in.

"Yeah. New countries here," I respond.

"Would they happen to be scared all the time?"

"Yep!" I say. "That's really handy. I mean...Y'know. If people weren't such greedy poop-heads and hurt you for it."

"Yeah. That part is kind of bad," she says, scratching Kumalynne behind his ears.

"So, how do you think you'll handle the no-info thing until we get Japan out of your head?" I ask.

"I think I'll be okay, unless it's news about Sydney and Alex," she tells me. She starts seeming very interested in Kumanai's fur, stroking little strands behind his ear.

"It's okay," I promise her. "I know it sounds just like empty words, but it'll be okay."

"It's just...hard," she says sadly. "Without them. I-...I don't remember much about my past, but I know I've never been apart from them for so long..."

I can't think of anything to say, so I just take her hand gently, hoping this will fill in the blanks.

Rin smiles sadly at me. Then she frowns, and tilts over to try to see someone out the door. "Who was that...?"

I whip around, just in time to see a shadow of a person run off into a different hallway. They seemed moderately tall; more or less around my height.

"...From your silence, I'm assuming this is a problem..." Rin says.

"...Yeah, I think so..." I respond quietly.

"I really wish I had my katana at a time like this, but I guess this will have to do..." Rin says from behind me. I turn around to see a long, pointed metal rod in her hand. "There's a hockey stick over there, if you would like to test out your newfound skills at the sport. Or, at least, the knocking people part."

I nod and grab the said item, holding it out in front of me like Rin wields the rod: katana style. "Let's go kick some stalker's butt." I like how balanced the hockey stick feels in my hand. It's just...right. It's like I've been playing it my whole life, even though I don't have an athletic bone in my body.

"Agreed."

_Wait wait wait, don't do anything rash...!_

I ignore him.

We run out of the room and down the hall, chasing after the person. The only trail we have is the distant patter of footsteps. But the sound gets softer and softer as the unwelcomed guest gets farther away in Austria's mansion. Finally, it's gone.

"Where do you think he went?" Rin asks.

"I dunno, " I respond, cocking my head to the side so I might be able to hear better. I slowly pad forward a few steps, my socks not making a sound against the hardwood floor.

_Where are you guys?!_

_Shhh. I'm concentrating._

_I'm not making a sound!_ he protests.

_Yeah, but you're throwing off my groove._

Canada sighs. I can tell he's by himself; he's in a corridor that we ran through.

_Just a few hallways more,_ I tell him.

_Thanks._

Suddenly, I hear footsteps again, so I take off in that direction. I turn a corner and run _smack_ into Estonia.

"Ow...!" I groan, rubbing my forehead, which had collided into his. I lost my glasses, and apparently, so did he. So, when my I put on the first pair of glasses I found and they weren't the right prescription, I nudge the blob of color that is Estonia. "Here."

"Th-thanks," he says, taking them. "And...these are yours...?"

"Yeah," I say, replacing them over my face. "Thanks."

Rin dashes up. "Are you okay?" she asks.

"Yeah. What about you, 'Stonia? You okay?"

Estonia looks at me for a while, his eyes wide. "Y-you're n-not s-supposed to kn-know about...!" He stops and fumbles with his walkie-talkie, which is just like Lithuania's. "We h-have a situation!" he whispers urgently.

"It's okay," I tell him, "Lithuania already knows I know about the nations and whatnot. My name's Issa, and this is Rin."

Estonia just stares at me more. Then Canada runs up. "What happened?" he asks.

"M-Mr. Am-America!" Estonia cries. "They're _human_s!"

"I'm _Canada_," he corrects, "and I know. They're supposed to be here and know about us."

Estonia hesitates for a minutes, and his walkie-talkie says, "_What is it? Estonia? Eduard? Are you okay?"_ in Lithuania's voice. Occasionally, there's sounds like frightened squeaks coming from wherever Latvia is.

"I'm okay," he finally says into the gadget.

"England's explaining in a room not far from here," Canada offers. "Did you get lost?"

"Yes, I did," Estonia says, picking himself up off the ground. I get up too, and then retrieve my hockey stick.

"I'll show you the way," Canada says, making sure Estonia's following him, and then walking down the hallway he came. Rin and I follow behind, conversing in whispers. "There really is a person," I say.

"Is that what you left for?"

"Yeah. China saw a person he didn't recognize and he freaked out."

"You're certain it's the same person?"

"I dunno. I didn't see him the first time. But It might've just been Lithuania the first time, and then Estonia the second."

"I hope it was just the nations," Rin says. "I've had enough excitement for a while."

"Pssh, yeah. You can say that again."

And from then on, we walk in silence. Rin stops before we reach the hospital room. I start to ask why, but she taps her forehead and backs away a few steps.

"Oh. Right," I say. "I'll come too. Just a minute, though."

"All right."

I walk into the room after Estonia, and then over to where Lithuania sits nervously looking anywhere but Russia. I sit next to him, and hug him, and then walk out without another word.

Don't look at me like that. I'm a fan.

Anyway, I walk out and join Rin outside. We walk back to the room we've adopted. I finally get a good look at it. The walls are tan-ish, and there's purple curtains over the window, even though it's too dark to see outside. The covers on the single bed is the same shade, but with a tan swirly patterns. There's a dark brown chest of drawers here, and a table. This kind of reminds me of the room I was stuffed in when I was first at Germany's, but with a better color scheme.

Kumajiji is still sitting on the floor where we left him, looking curiously around the room. "Who are you?" he asks me.

"I'm Issa," I remind him.

"Oh. Right."

"You don't have to stay here with me," Rin tells me.

"No, it's okay," I say. "I want to. I like to help people."

"I don't need help, though."

"I think you do," I tell her in all seriousness. "You've been through a lot. It's traumatizing stuff, being kidnapped. We both would know a lot about that."

She gives a small laugh. "Yeah," she agrees. "We would."

"Thanks a lot, Japan," I say loudly.

Rin laughs again. "He is indignant again."

"Oh yeah? Well, he doesn't have a reason to. He kidnapped me without blinking," I say. I really hate Japan. I mean, yeah, Germany's the mastermind behind this, but Japan didn't need to help him. He did it for the heck of it, not caring about how it would make Josh or myself, or anyone else feel.

There I go again, sounding like a therapist. "And how does this make you _feel_?" they always seem to say.

Feelings are a weird thing. They can literally be life-saving or life-destroying, depending on if they're positive or negative. Based on how you feel, you could make different decisions; they could be small ones, like the color of your clothes. But they could also be huge ones, like deciding to drink or do drugs because you feel rebellious. Which brings me to another point: there are a _lot_ of different emotions. They all seem to go into either happy, angry, sad, or scared, but it varies on the intensity. It's like color. You could have a deep shade of something, or a light hue. But they're still the same color. You could be mildly content, or wild with joy; disappointed, or ready to kill yourself; frustrated, or ready to snap someone's head of at the slightest provocation; just a little apprehensive, or hyperventilating. It varies.

Emotions are a fragile thing. It doesn't take much to bruise your ego, or inflate it. You could just be joking around with a friend, and they say something insensitive, or vice versa, and _boom_, you're scarred. Okay, now this is a really weird comparison, but it's like when you open a new jar of Nutella. (Stay with me; I'm just hungry, and this is what I first thought of) The surface is smooth and shiny. All it takes for the glossy perfection to be tarnished is a gentle probe with the tip of your finger. And no matter what you do, you can't take it away. It's permanent.

You can say that insults don't bother you, and you can try to believe it; but it's never true. Somewhere deep inside you, you're still hurting. It could've been a small fingerprint in you metaphorical Nutella jar, but it's still there.

I of all people should know.

_Okay, that was deep and disturbing at the same time._

I snort in laughter. _Way to ruin the moment._

"There he is again, aru!" China yells from down the corridor. I jump up and ready my hockey stick when I hear footsteps coming closer. Then, I hold it out in the hallway, and the person trips over it. I grunt in pain as my hands are jerked to the side. I get a good look at a person with long white hair tied up in a bun; it's obviously female. She's wearing a camo shirt under a denim jacket, and her jeans are well-worn, with lots of holes and tears, and several chains and strings hang from her belt loops. Her shoes are black and very loved, too. On her back is a quiver of arrows, and she's carrying a crossbow in her hands. When she falls, I see a long silver dog tag around her neck.

And then she gets up and runs again, giving me a dirty look through vivid crimson eyes.

I'm staring at her retreating back in shock, and China, America, and Lauren (England) run past, yelling at her to stop. But she doesn't.

I don't think they'll catch her; she has a good head start, even with my delay.

_Who was that?_ Canada asks worriedly.

_I don't know...I think it might've been...Prussia's lookalike..._

"Did you see her face?" Rin asks; I jump slightly, because I didn't hear her crouch next to me.

"No...Why?"

"She has a scar. On her cheek. Just like you did."

I frown at her. "You don't think it was..."

"The girl who escaped Mr. Nameless?" she guesses. "For all we know, she could be."

The three who went after the girl come back, bickering. "Well if _you_ hadn't stopped right in front of me-"

"What're you talking about!? That was _China_ who stopped!"

"Was not, aru! It was America!"

"_I'm_ the one yelling at _someone_ for stopping! It wasn't me!"

"Yes it was (aru)!" they both shout in unison.

"Alright, _fine_, I stopped!" America shouts back, flailing his arms.

"P-please stop fighting!" Lithuania intervenes.

England sighs. "He's right. Fighting about it won't help anything."

"U-um...has anyone seen Latvia?" Estonia butts in. "It's just...he hasn't responded"- he holds out the walkie-talkie- "and no one's seemed to have found him yet..."

"We should go look," Russia suggests, coming out behind the two Baltics and grinning childishly. He still isn't wearing a shirt. I guess it's just a new way to annoy the Trembling Trio. And England. And America. And Austria. And Switzerland. A lot of people.

Russia, you troll.

"He's, like, right here," another not-so-familiar voice says. I recognize this voice immediately.

"_Privet_, Poland~!" Russia sings, waving at the valley girl. Er-..._boy_. Latvia, who is with him, jumps and hides behind him.

"Like, hi. I don't like you," Poland deadpans in Russia's direction. His green eyes lazily peruse the faces until he finds who he was seemingly looking for. "Liet! I've been looking, like, _everywhere_ for you!" Then he stops and takes another look at our group. "I-don't-know-half-of-you-bye," he says quickly, grabbing Lithuania's arm and starting off down the hallway.

Russia, however, grabs poor Liet's other arm. "Lithuania is mine, _da_?"

"Like, _no!_" Poland says angrily, giving Lithuania's arm a tug. "Let go of him! And put a shirt on; no one wants to see your grody scars."

But Russia yanks a trembling Liet towards him and wraps his arms around his neck in a backwards hug. It's like watching two kindergarteners fight over a person to be their friend until they realize they can have more than one friend. It's kind of funny. Liet seems to have the purple depression marks around him; he's obviously uncomfortable.

They continue bickering bath and forth until America jumps in with a "Leave him alone, stupid commie."

"But I am not communist anymore," Russia protests. "China is communist."

"And what's that supposed to mean, aru?!"

"Nothing, nothing," Russia dismisses.

I move over to a shaking Latvia. "You're okay?" I ask him.

"Y-yeah," he says.

_HE'S SO ADORABLE ASDFGHJKLKJHGFDSA._

_What does that even mean_?! 

_I dunno. It's an internet thing._

_You should spend less time on the internet._

_You should spend less time eating maple._

_Hey, that was uncalled for!_ he says, but he's laughing.

I grin at him.

Now Lithuania's in the middle of a three-way fight over him. I sigh and move in the center of it, then say loudly, "You're all wrong. He's mine. Now beat it." And then I cuddle him around his stomach.

It's really funny, to feel how badly poor Liet is shaking. Also pretty mean. BUT HE'S JUST SO ADORBS I CAN'T EVEN-!

Ahem. Sorry.

_...You really scare me sometimes._

I grin evilly at him. _I know._

Anyway, that lead to a lot of multi-accented protests, and poor, poor Lithuania gets pulled in a few directions like taffy. He keeps squeaking, "P-please! L-let m-me g-go!" but no one hears him. Or if they do, they're ignoring him.

_I guess that's what they call being loved to pieces._ Canada tells me, fishing me out of the fray.

I smile. _I guess so._

_Sometimes I wonder what it's like to have so many friends that you're overwhelmed._

I huggle my nation. _S'okay. At least you still have me._ At the last part, I let an insane smile on my face to make him uncomfortable. It works, but then he sees what I'm doing and scowls playfully at me. I laugh, and continue hugging him for a while. Then I let go and gravitate to Rin again.

"Where's Lauren?" she asks. "I haven't seen her in a while."

"That's a good question. Let's go look for her."

We find her in our shared room. She sits, staring blankly at the wall opposite of her. She seems to be deep in thought about something; the usual sparkle in her eyes, no matter the color, is replaced with a dull shine. You can almost see her thoughts and emotions zipping through England's emerald eyes, which were shadowed slightly by England's eyebrows. Lauren did say she wanted to thin them out, but she resisted the urge when England, playing the her very well, offered to bake scones for her.

"What's up?" I ask, kneeling down next to her.

The sparkle in her eyes return almost immediately as she trails them on my figure. "I'm historical," she says simply, resting her head in her hands as she speaks in England's voice.

"What?" I ask, confused.

"Every single scar I have, and now, everyone seems to have...They're like words on a history book's pages. Every scar isn't something you forget...You always remember how you got them. It could be a bike accident when you were young, or it could be what a knife left behind...Incident or intended, everyone gets hurt in some manner. And, bot all wounds are visible. We both know that...All too well...," Lauren explained, and then she drifted off back into her land of her mind.

After that, for some reason beyond my comprehension, she smiles and starts to sing England's Marshmallow Song.

"_Meramera to, oyaki tsukuse sumi kara sumi made sono gouka de, atokata mo nokoranu youni, tamashii made mo yaki tsukuse...,"_ she sings, staring off at a point by the wall.

_...Scary..._

So, now that she's in England's body, she knows everything he knows. She's seen all that he's seen, and it's not like seeing random little snippets when you're not expecting it like Josh must be seeing; I guess it was just there in her mind, every single little horrific memory England has. Every scar that now litters his body, she knows how that came to be, and she knows how traumatizing it must've been.

At least, I _think_ that's what she means. I could be completely wrong.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a red flashing light. I frown and turn into that direction. On the table is a little black video camera, and I suppose the red light means it's recording.

"Germany, you freaking idiot...," I growl under my breath, stalking over to the table. At least we weren't talking about important information this time. But still, how did he sneak it in here while our backs were turned? Germany isn't known for his stealth, and Rin would know if it was Japan.

I pick up the small camera and press the stop button. Then I open the little flap thing, and play the last video. I have to fast-forward it a few times, because there's nothing happening, but I stop when England wanders into the room where Lauren is sitting now. I fast forward again, and then Rin and I come into view. The camera doesn't have sound, but I already know what was said. Then I turn, scowl at the camera, and walk forward until the video ends.

"Yay, more evidence," I say dully, slipping the camera into my pocket. I turn to Lauren. "Come on, up you get," as I pull her to her feet.

The spacey look in her eyes vanishes once she's standing, and she asks me, "What happened?"

I take out the camera again and hold it up. "We've got a spy somewhere."

"Oh," she says simply. "That's not good."

"It's not," I agree. "Let's go show England."

I pass Rin as I walk to the door, but before I can step out of the room, an arrow lodges into the frame. I yelp and jump back, right into Lauren.

"I'd appreciate it if you left my equipment alone," someone says.

_Don't move. We'll be right there. Just stall._

Stall. I can do that.

"I'd appreciate it if you left us alone," I counter after a long hesitation.

The girl with the scar walks up and pulls the arrow out of the doorframe. "Camera, please," she says, holding her hand out palm up.

"Finder's keepers."

"Ha hah. Now give me my camera."

"Leave us alone."

"No, I don't think I will."

"Then I don't think I'll give it back."

She glares at me; her eyes are strange. It's odd seeing them on someone who isn't Prussia. But she still just seems...familiar...

Rin speaks up. "You're- you can sense them, can't you?"

The girl quietly acknowledges Rin. "What's it to you?"

"I can too," Rin tells her. "I was kidnapped and tortured, too..." She pulls down the neckline of her shirt to her collarbone to reveal the tip of a long scar on her chest.

The girl stares at Rin for a few more seconds. I realize what's familiar about her. It's the way she holds herself. It's exactly how Prussia does. Her position, half-slouching, half- erect, says she's been through a lot, so cut her some slack. It demands respect.

She seems around twenty. Her face is emotionless as she continues regarding our Japanese friend. Now that she's standing still, I can see what seems like electrical wires hanging out of every possible pocket on her person. She really knows what she's doing, this one.

"Give me my camera, or I'll take it from you," she says, turning her attention towards me again.

And then she's tackled by Prussia himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

I'm standing outside of what seems to be an interrogation room. I didn't even know Austria had a taste for stuff like interrogations.

Anyway, the girl has been sitting in a chair with her wrists handcuffed together. She hasn't said much to everyone who's tried to get information out of her; only that she was just trying to get her camera back.

England has unofficially been elected as the responsible adult. At least, that how I see him. Austria and Switzerland, maybe, but they're so cold and distant. I suppose Ukraine has a certain motherly air around her, but she bursts into tears when she's scared someone will get hurt. Right now, she's crying for the nameless girl's safety. Russia, who was finally bullied into putting a shirt on by England (he threatened to get Belarus. You know how she is. A shirtless Russia would cause chaos beyond belief), has been trying to calm her down.

"They're not going to hurt her," he keeps telling her. "We just want to know why she's here, and why she was setting cameras around. That's it."

But China, who's the one who keeps trying to get her to talk, seems less sure he won't resort to violence. He's taken it upon himself to makes sure she talks, because he's still sore about her glomping him. Right now, he's stalking around the room, firing question after unanswered question at her, but she just sits there, smirking like she knows something we don't. Which she does.

Finally, China yells, "I give up, aru!", throws his hands in the air, and stomps out, fuming and muttering things under his breath in rapid-fire Chinese.

The girl lets out a very Prussian snicker.

Canada stands next to me, worriedly shifting from foot to foot as he stares between the blinds at the girl. When she catches him gawking, she lifts one of her bound hands in a greeting, still grinning.

_I don't like this,_ he decides. _She's too at ease. It's like she belongs here._

_It'll be okay, _I tell him. _She's just a troublemaker. _

Prussia enters the room. "You're not being very awesome, you know," he tells her as he sits down in one of the chairs.

"I'm always awesome," she says, leaning back leisurely.

"I don't think so," Prussia responds.

She shrugs. "I don't think you're very awesome."

"Hey!" he protests.

The girl laughs. "Don't pee yourself; I was only joking. Anyone who looks like me is very awesome."

Prussia scowls at her. "What's your name, _kleine_?" **(Little one in German)**

"That's classified information," she responds, brushing imaginary flecks of dust off her jeans.

"What do you have this for?" he asks, holding up her crossbow and quiver.

"What do you think?"

"I think you're being a stubborn brat."

She grins and makes a tsk-tsk noise. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me."

"Sticks and stones," Prussia echoes. "Good idea."

Ukraine starts bawling harder.

"What's her problem?" the girl asks, pointing through the window at the Ukrainian.

"She's a bit..." Prussia trails off, catches Russia's glare, and finishes with, "...sensitive."

"Hm," she grunts.

There's a moment of silence.

"What's your name?" Prussia asks again.

"What's _your_ name?"

"I tell you, you tell me."

"Fair enough," she shrugs. "You first."

"I'm known as the Awesome Gilbert."

"Gilbert," she parrots, tasting the name. "Doesn't sound like a very awesome name to me."

"Hey," Prussia warns, "my name is the best name in the entire freaking world because it's _my_ name."

"Whatever floats your boat, Gilly."

"Now your name," he reminds her.

"I lied." The girl smirks and leans back again, eyeing her fellow albino gleefully.

"We had a deal."

"Do you have it in writing?"

Prussia gives her an extra-long glare before getting up and exiting.

"Nice talking to you, Gilly!" the girl calls. She throws her head back and stares at the ceiling before declaring, "I am the greatest troll! Who shall come and face me next?"

_"Troll" is an appropriate name._

_I concur_.

England is pacing back and forth through the hallways, muttering to himself. Occasionally he glances back to the girl, and then his pacing increases.

Prussia passes him and enters the room again, two mugs in his hands.

"You again?" from the girl.

He sets one in front of her. "Peace offering," he explains in answer to the questioning look she's giving him.

"I don't want it."

"I didn't do anything to it."

"I don't trust you," she counters. "And I don't drink coffee. I'm more of a green tea person."

"I dunno if Specs has any green tea. Artie back there might have whatever British stuff he drinks. Yao might have green tea, though..."

"I still wouldn't drink it."

Prussia takes another sip of his coffee, staring at the girl over the rim of the cup. She, unlike me, isn't afraid to stare right back.

"You called that girl Artie," she pointed out.

"Long story."

"I'm up for a story," she says, surveying him.

"So am I."

"Well, then. I guess the both of us are out of luck." She lets another cocky grin on her face, her red eyes glittering with sarcastic humor and intelligence.

They're at a stalemate. Neither one can out-troll the other. They're equal.

"Listen here, _kliene._ I'm the awesome one, alright? None of the other guys are as easy-going as I am."

"Easy-going. Huh," she says. "You don't seem very easy-going to me."

Prussia stares at her. "You know," he points out, "the faster you talk, the faster you can get out of here."

"I can wait," she says simply, shrugging her shoulders.

Ha. I made an alliteration.

"For how long?"

"I dunno," she says. "However long it takes."

Prussia takes another sip of his coffee. "You know, I know a few guys. And if you're anything like me, you'll talk just to shut them up."

"Really," the girl says, unimpressed.

"You betcha. Wanna meet them?"

"No thanks."

"Okay. I'll be right back." Prussia smirks at her, and leaves the room. "You guys seen Poland anywhere?"

Canada shakes his head, and I say, "Probably around Lithuania."

"'Kay. Thanks."

He returns a few minutes later with cotton stuffed in his ears and Poland trailing behind him, talking incessantly. "And, like, those colors _so_ don't go with your skin tone!" he tells Prussia.

Poland enters the room. "Heyyy."

"Yo," the girl answers.

Poland studies the girl for a few minutes, and then begins talking again. "You know, like, that color is so grody on you. I think you'd look good in, like, a wicked hipster pink! Everyone totally does. Me, especially. Don't you think so?" Here he holds up a pink handkerchief to his face. Then he holds it in front of the girl's. "Like, ohemgee! I was totally right! You should _totally_ wear this color!"

And then he starts babbling about pink, and his ponies, and other random things until the girl just kind of explodes.

"SHUT _UP_ ALREADY!" she shouts at him. "_Man_, you're so freaking _annoying!_"

Prussia fistpumps and hurries into the room. "Feel like talking yet?"

"Ugh." The girl cradles her forehead in her hands. "My name's Louisa."

"And we have a name!" Prussia cries triumphantly. "So, what're you doing here?"

"Make _him_ leave"- she jabs a finger at Poland, who is still babbling- "and I'll tell."

"Po-Felix, get out."

"What? Why?" Poland whines. "I was just getting started! That is _so _ not fair!"

"You heard me. Get out. Go on, scram."

Poland leave, scowling and muttering under his breath in Polish.

"I'm here because I was curious," Louisa says, rubbing her temples to relieve a headache she must've gotten from listening to Poland.

Prussia frowns. "That's it?"

"Yep."

"Care to elaborate on that?"

"Do I have to?"

"Yeah."

"Ugh." She takes a minute to get ready, then sits up straight and avoids all eye contact. "I was curious. That girl over there"- she points at Rin, who jumps upon being acknowledged- "said something about sensing them. I didn't know what to call it at first. I called it heat flashes. But I'm too young for those. So, when I got close to here and it started happening more often, I wanted to know more."

"...And that's it...?" Prussia asks almost apprehensively.

"Yeah..." Louisa stops and looks at him suspiciously. "Is there more to it? Why's this place so isolated?"

Prussia catches England's warning look when he hesitates, so he says, "Please leave a message at the sound of the awesome beep. _Beep!_ 'Kay, thanks, be right back." And then he leaves.

"I think she might already know," England says. "She planted enough bugs."

"Yeah, but she might not've checked the recordings yet," Prussia counters, shooting a look back at Louisa, who has lost her arrogant smirk and replaced it with a glare. "She seems pretty out of it to me."

"I don't think we can trust her."

"She's a lookalike!" Prussia exclaims. "She's _my_ lookalike!"

"That's the exact reason we can't keep her here!" England hisses back. "What if we can't find a way to stop the process, and you die?"

Prussia stops, and stares at a point off by his foot. "She looks like Monika."

"I'm _sorry_ she disappeared," England says. "But pining after the girl she looks like won't do anything!"

"You wouldn't understand," Prussia says simply.

"I don't understand _half_ the things that go on here...," England mumbles. But he doesn't protest when Prussia walks back in and starts explaining to Louisa.

**TADA. **

**Okay, I'm really really really sorry for the lateness. Like, really. **

**The tomatoes are over there, if you wanna throw something at me. **

**AND YAY, NEW CHARACTER! :D Louisa is fireflame1801-chan. **

**SO. Louisa most likely won't be in ultimate-troll-mode forever. She's a China fangirl, and **_**will**_** glomp him if he lets his guard down around her. She's good with the crossbow and she has technical skillz. Which I do not. o3o Her backstory will come in later chapters. **

**OKEY. **

**QUESTION ONE! How badly does Poland annoy you?**

**QUESTION TWO! Did you like Prussia's little backstory thing? o3o**

**RANDOM QUESTION (QUESTION THREE)! HAVE YOU EATEN CHOCOLATE IN THE PAST FEW DAYS? IF NOT, YOU MAY BE SUFFERING FROM CHOCOLATE-WITHDRAWALS. PLEASE CONTACT YOUR CHOCOLATE-DOCTOR IMMEDIATELY. XD**

**QUESTION FOUR! I used a song title as one of Kumajirou's suffixes. It a VOCALOID song. Can you tell me which one it is? o3o (hint: it's by Hatsune Miku)**

**QUESTION FIVE! Do you like Louisa? o3o**

**Okey. I'm so so so so so sorry for making you guys wait a month for an update. I'M SORREH PLEASE DON'T KILL ME I HAVE RELATIVES IN YOUR COUNTRY**


	16. Sending a Message

**YAY SLIGHTLY QUICK UPDATE! :D **

**Okayyy...JELLO FOR MY BEAUTIFUL REVIEWERS~~! :D el18m, teagirl713, fireflame1801, hetaliaforever123, JustMakeLeftTurns, AkitaNeruWolfLover, CelticGirl7, Art and Soul, caset290, and MistMaiden52. :3 **

**Okay, you guys seriously make my day. I swear, any time I'm feeling sad, I just look at these again and end up smiling forever. X3 I just want to go and cuddle all of you so badly! I know that sounds really creepy and stalkerish but I love you guys **_**so freaking much!**_

**Okay, so, I've been re-doing chapters that needed to be redo'd in MMUL, and I fixed chapters 1-4, and then...Ugh, I don't even remember because I'm combining some chapters and it MESSES WITH MY BRAIN. The last one I redid is the Winter Formal chapter, so, if you wanna check that out, you don't have to re-read the unawesomeness that is my first attempts at writing. XD Just so's ya know. **

**And only two people got my little Kuma riddle! The song is called "Lynne" and it's by Hatsune Miku, and I've been listening to it for a week straight. I'm not even kidding. IT'S JUST SO PRETTY AND INTENSE AND BEAUTIFUL AND I CAN'T EVEN DESCRIBE IT BECAUSE I LOVE IT SO MUCH! :U Anywhoo, hetaliaforever123 and MistMaiden52 got it right. :3 You guys get CHURROS~! :D**

**So, ja. Enough with my randomness. :3**

Alex's POV

I grunt in pain as a fist collides with my face. Both the Italies are freaking out.

_Calm the freak down. I can take it_, I tell them. Romano acts all tough, like he's not worried, but both of them can also literally feel my pain.

_B-but-! Germany! He- he's-! Why would he do this?!_ Veneziano thinks. He's crying; I can tell.

I want to rub my stinging face, but, sadly, the psychotic German tied my hands behind my back. I'm standing in a puddle of my own blood; it's actually a wonder I haven't bled to death yet. Maybe that's what the whole "lookalike" thing is about; my bruises from earlier healed really quickly, so, maybe my body's just making more blood as quickly as it drips from multiple cuts all over me.

...Which _means_, as long as he doesn't break my neck, or pound my brains out, he can punch me and cut me all he wants and I won't die.

Yay, pain.

Anyway, a few hours ago, I realized I was listening to _both_ the Italy brothers think. And, apparently, they can't hear each other. Only me. And more and more of both their memories kept me knocked out half the time. I would have to stop and remember the memories, and then I'd have to decide if I was Romano or Veneziano in the flashback. And I have _both_ their freaking curls. Twice the vulnerability.

Woo-hoo.

And then about an hour ago, Germany wrestled me into the basement, tied my arms behind my back, and is torturing me. My shirt's long gone: it got cut to shreds, and the shreds are so bloodstained they're not even worth saving. My pants are pretty bloodstained, but I bet I can salvage them after this.

If I don't die.

Finally, he backs out of the room. I hang limp against my restraints, panting and gasping for breath. I can feel the new cuts on my chest closing. Feel the blood stop dripping. Feel the pain leach out of my sore body until I'm numb.

No, I don't have any energy. I haven't eaten in a few days, and it doesn't help that the Italies keep thinking about pasta and tomatoes and all that.

I haven't seen Sydney since Japan freaking turned us in. Or Germania. Or Rin. I just hope they're okay.

Now that I think about it...they might not be... If Germany's lookalike theory is really true, he'll kill Sydney so she can't turn into him. And maybe the same with Rin.

_No no no, don't cry!_ Veneziano thinks at the same time Romano thinks, Don't get so ****ing emotional.

_They might be dead already!_ I scream in my mind. _They could've already killed them!_ I realize tears force themselves out of my eyelids, making trails through the blood coating my face. I can't freaking lose them. I _can't_. I'll kill myself within a _minute_ if they're dead.

_D-don't say th-that!_Veneziano tells me, still freaking out.

I take a deep breath and rub my face against my bloody shoulder. I succeed in making my face even bloodier, but I think that just hides the tears better.

_I-...I know something that'll make you feel better..._ Veneziano tells me hesitantly.

_What?_ I think grumpily.

_Your friend. J-Japan's lookalike. She's here. She's safe._

I nearly start crying again in relief, but then I feel a stab of annoyance that's slowly turning into anger. _...And WHY didn't you tell me this SOONER, you IDIOT?!_

Don't talk about my _fratello_ like that! Only I can, Romano tells me.

_Yeah, whatever_.

_I'm sorry!_ Veneziano says. _I forgot! Please don't hurt me!_

_I'm not going to hurt you,_ I sigh. _I'm not close enough to hurt you, anyway. _

As I lean against the ropes tethering me to the wall, I feel myself starting to fall asleep. It's like my body's shutting down to save myself from more trauma and pain. I wouldn't mind a few minutes of sleep.

A thought suddenly snaps my eyes back open. Sydney's still here. Sydney's probably getting the same torture I got. Maybe even worse...

But I'm too weak to resist when my eyes close and my consciousness fades.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Sydney's POV

I haven't been fully awake for a while now.

When Japan betrayed us, I had just barely woken up. I was awake for a while after that, but then I kept having Germany's flashbacks. They're _terrible_. So full of agony and death. The things he's done are just heinous; I'm ashamed to even look like him.

But then there are others. The times he's spent with Italy and Japan. He didn't like to admit it, but he's really happy when he's around them. Germany's really overprotective about Italy, and I find that funny, because Alex is sometimes overprotective about Rin and me. The way he thinks about them, it's like a ray of sunshine in the midst of his bleak world. I don't know why he went psycho. He had people to keep him going, to keep him sane.

That's what I thought until a while ago. It was like a metallic buzz in my ears, and then I just felt..._cold_. It was so dark. I didn't know what was going on until I heard his voice, muffled in my head.

_Who are you?_ he asked me.

_Um, who are you? Why- why are we talking? How are we talking?_

_I have no idea..._I felt some presence looking into my memories.

_Stop that,_ I told him in annoyance, shoving him to a corner of my mind.

The other seemed to frown. _You're human_.

_Who are you?_ I asked impatiently.

_I might as well tell you; we are somehow linked, and it's good to hear a voice other than HIS. I'm Germany,_ he said.

I had felt a pang of fear and fury at the same time. _What are you doing in my head?_

_I could ask you the same._

_No, you can't. You- you're the freaking reason I'm here, and not with my friends. Go die in a hole or something, and leave everyone alone!_

Germany had frowned. _I don't know what you're talking about. Why are Japan and Italy in your memories?_

_Don't play dumb with me; you know what you did,_ I think angrily. _And they're not your stupid friends. They're mine. _

_...Hm..._ was his only response for a while. _What did I do that was so bad?_

I had frowned. He- he didn't remember _any_ of the crimes he committed? _Well, what do you remember?_

_Not much,_ he admitted. _Bits and pieces, but they never make any sense. The last thing...I saw Italy. He looked scared, so I promised to make him pasta. Then he took over me again. _

_Who's "he?"_ I ask.

_I'm not quite sure. The only thing I remember before he took over me for the first time is Japan and Italy. I don't know. We were looking for something. Someone. I don't remember why, or who,_ he tells me.

_Hm, let's see...You kidnapped...five people in the beginning. Two girls, three boys, all teenagers. They look like the Allies. You slashed one girl across the face when she opposed you for too long, and then the two girls escaped. The girl you cut came back with the real Allies to help break the three boys out, but you shipped them off to Spain. Then, you found out the girl's blood makes a really powerful bomb, and you dumped two of the boys back at their homes, and kept the third because he meant something to the girl. You kidnapped and tortured England, then Switzerland broke him and the boy out. And then-_

_Stop,_ Germany said. _I don't get it. I didn't do that. I was watching someone do that the entire time, but I couldn't do anything about it. It wasn't me. _

_Think again._

_...Oh my gosh. I- I did that? Why?!_

_I don't know! You're you, you should know!_

_I know,_ he agreed, _I should. _

That was a while ago. Now, Germany starts struggling against something in his mind, but the thing tightens its hold on him. That's what's making his mind so dark. I immediately feel hatred for the strange creature.

_I know_, Germany sympthesizes. _I don't like him either._

_**Listen, girl,**_ a new voice says. _**Just lay low and keep quiet, and I won't kill your little boyfriend. Rather, I won't make Germany here kill him.**_

_Who are you_? I ask it.

_**I'm me,**_ it says. _**Not much more to it. **_

_Well, "Me,"_ I think, _is there a reason you took over Germany?_

_**Easy peasy. World domination. **_

_...But why?_

_**I can kill him right now,**_ it threatens. _**It'll be like breaking a toothpick.**_

_Don't!_ I plead.

_**Then don't talk to me, and if you have to work things into this meatbag's thick head, keep it quiet. **_

_Fine,_ I huff. I don't like this creature. It's derisive and snarky, and people (or things. Creatures, whatever) like that tick me off.

_...How's Italy, do you know?_

_Last time I checked, he was fine. _

Germany is relieved. _That's good_, he thinks. _I'm glad I didn't accidentally hurt him._

_**Hey. Girl.**_

_That's not my name._

_**I don't care. Anyways, who completes the bomb?**_

_I don't know,_ I answer truthfully. It's not like I can hide anything from it, anyway.

_**Thank you, stupid human, for the help,**_ it thinks sarcastically.

_No one told me! How does that make me stupid?!_

The thing is silent. Then it swears at me and continues whatever it's doing.

_Well, screw you._

_**I warned you, girl.**_ It makes Germany's body go down a hallway. I can see it, even though I'm not there. I can see what Germany sees. This is weird. Anyway, the thing makes Germany open a door, and Alex is in there.

_No, please!_ I think in desperation.

_**I warned you not to talk to me. And an insult. Woo, boy. Your friend's gonna pay. **_

_No! Don't! Punish me instead, don't hurt him! _I beg.

_**Again. I warned you. I'm not gonna kill him; just make him hurt for a while. **_

_Make ME hurt! _I plead.

The thing doesn't listen to me. It drags Alex out of the room (while Alex fights back weakly and curses loudly in Italian) and takes him down to the basement. I let out a real strangled cry when he takes a knife to Alex's chest. Over and over again, until Alex stops struggling against his ropes and they're both literally standing in a pool of his blood. That's when the thing starts punching my friend. I whimper every time his knuckles hit Alex's bare chest. The whole time, Germany's apologizing, saying he's not doing it, and struggling against the thing that's trapping him in a dark corner of his own mind.

_I'm sorry,_ he keeps saying. _I'm not doing it! It's not me! I'm sorry; I'm so sorry._

This goes on for too long. All I know is when it's over, I'm curled up in a ball in the corner of the room, sobbing uncontrollably. My hands are over my ears, like that can block out the sounds of Alex crying out in agony. But it doesn't. I can't tune it out when it's coming from my own mind.

_**I hope you learned your lesson,**_ it says, giving me one last look at Alex hanging limp from his restraints. _**Not fun, doing that kind of stuff. But when you need to send a message, that's what you gotta do.**_

It takes all my willpower not to answer directly to the thing, but I can't stop the thoughts of hate from echoing around my head. "I'm sorry, Alex," I keep whispering, even though I know he can't hear me. "It's all my fault."

Germany awkwardly thinks to me, _Uh...Don't cry...Everything will be okay._

_You don't have to lie,_ I tell him. _I know what I did. It's not going to be okay._

_Listen,_ he says, taking a more commanding tone. _Wallowing in self-pity won't do anything._

I sigh. He's right. _I know. I'm sorry._

_Don't apologize to me; apologize to yourself._

_**Yes, how heartwarming,**_ the thing mutters sarcastically.

I have to remember not to respond. _What's your name?_ I ask it.

_**I never really had a name,**_ it says in an offhand tone. _**But I think the name "Cutter" sounds good. It fits; cuts are the worst way of torture in my opinion, and my favorite by far. **_

_Fine. Your name's Cutter,_ I think. I guess it does fit. I can see in Cutter's recent memories torturing...is that Lauren? She escaped, I can see that. That's good. Anyway, he cut her a lot.

_**Yes, the little brat was exceptionally rude. And yet, so powerful. She has a certain flame that matches yours. It's no wonder he was attracted to her. **_

_Who was attracted to Lauren?_

_**A cat demon,**_ Cutter answers. _**Not the strongest out there, but still strong. **_

_And what type of demon are you?_ I ask, genuinely curious.

_**I'm a gold demon,**_ he says, sounding dignified. _**The very best type. **_

_Can I just ask...Why did you pick Germany?_

_**Hmph. It's not like you're going anywhere for a while. I picked Germany because he was there. I live in his necklace. It's made of white gold. I'd think he could tell the difference, but the idiot still calls it his "Iron cross." I decided I wanted to make this miserable excuse for a world pay, and he was the closest living creature. **_

_...Great accessory there, Germany..._I whisper to him.

_Oh, hush,_ he says, but he's embarrassed.

_So...Are all necklaces possessed?_

_**Only the best ones. **_

_...Do all the nations have a demon?_

_**I think so, yeah. Most of them are pitiful excuses for demons; too weak to even talk to them. But they're there. Japan's, Kuro, is pretty powerful; he's a gold demon, too. Sometimes he even takes over. The only way to recognize a demon in control is the eyes. They change color. Kuro makes Japan's irises go gold. But I'm the most powerful. The more powerful a demon is, the less of the eye is visible. Potato sack's here turn completely gold, all because of me. Isn't that awesome?**_

_Yeah. That's so awesome. _I hope he doesn't detect the sarcasm in that thought. __

Cutter continues. _**Kuro wasn't very discreet about it in the old days. He'd introduce Japan as himself, and then kill a bunch of samurais while in a ninja suit. Japan eventually stopped him, but Kuro was able to take over. He's good, Kuro. Your little friend won't even notice him. **_

I take a minute to let that soak in. So, Cutter is very cocky and arrogant, it seems. He likes to be the best. He likes to tower above everyone else.

...But that pedestal he's resting on won't last forever.

He'll fall someday.

Hopefully someday soon.

XXXXXXXXXX

Issa's POV

"No- just- I don't want-!" I protest, trying to get away from Poland, who's brandishing a skirt and shirt in front of me.

"Come _on_!" he begs. "Just try it on!"

"No!" I shout back. Lauren and Hungary hover in the background, amused at the scene. I'm surprised Hungary hasn't started helping Poland, or videotaping/ taking pictures of this.

"Pleaase? It'll look, like, _so_ good on you!" Poland keeps advancing, thrusting them at my face.

"No!"

"Yeeeessss!"

"Go away!"

"You know, he's not going to give up. You might as well try it on," Lauren suggests, smirking at me. I scowl at her, and then at the two nations, and then snatch the hanger out of Poland's hands and stalk over to the bathroom.

_Don't. Say. A word,_ I growl at Canada.

_I wasn't going to,_ he tells me in a way that suggests he was about to.

I stare at the mirror. It's a tan skirt with a bright yellow shirt that's way too low-cut. I guess it's not as bad as it could've been, but as soon as I model it to get Poland off my back, I'm taking it off.

I slump back in the room, scowling at everyone. Then I pull my tank top up to my neck to emphasize how unhappy I am with the amount of cleavage I would've been showing. "Happy now?" I snap at Poland.

"Oooh, yeah~!" he says cheerfully. "No, wait. Lemme do your hair and makeup and stuff!"

"Ahahah, _no._ I'm taking this off." And then I walk back into the bathroom and take it off. When I come back out, I throw the clothes at Poland's face. So, while Prussia was explaining to Louisa, Poland came and dragged me off. Lauren and Hungary followed, and Rin stayed by Italy, hesitantly, like he might turn her away.

I growl at Poland to make my point clear, and then drag Lauren out with me. "He's annoying," I tell her bluntly.

"Ja, but he's so cute~!" she responds, running her fingers through England's hair. Teacup curls around her ankles, and I hiss at him and shoo him away.

"Go on. Scram," I say. Then I turn to Lauren and say, "You think all of them're cute."

"That's because they _are_," she answers, sticking England's tongue out at me. I do the same with my tongue (anyone else's would've been kinda weird...But I guess that goes without saying).

Without warning, Lauren goes, "I'll be back!" and runs off.

"...'Kay. Bye," I call back to her.

There's still a small crowd around the interrogation room. Prussia's still talking to Louisa, and she doesn't seem snarky anymore; just confused and sad.

"...Your story now," Prussia's saying.

"Fine..." Louisa says. Prussia took her handcuffs off a while ago, and she scratches at her scar before continuing. "Before I was kidnapped, I lived in a small village in the middle of Germany. Or, I guess it was where Prussia was. Anyway, I was sixteen at the time. I didn't know what the hot and cold flashes meant, or why they came and went like that. Only one day, he and his thugs came..."

She trails off, like she's remembering that day. When she starts talking again, her voice is a little more strangled. "At first, they were peaceful. They said I was qualified to go to some special school in the city, but my dad wouldn't hear of it. That's when they got mad. They started setting fires around. I remember-" her voice breaks, but she clears her throat and continues. "I remember my mom telling me to go run, to go hide. I didn't understand, but I did what she wanted. I ran into the forest and slept there that night. When I came back..." Louisa stops, her crimson eyes starting to fill with tears. It's obvious she's never talked about this before, and it's opening old wounds she thought she closed long ago.

"You don't have to continue," Prussia offers, being very awesome.

"No, you should know the whole thing," Louisa denies. She wipes at her eyes. "When I came back, everything was gone. Nothing but a few sticks of charred wood and ash. There were no other survivors, except for the man and his accomplices. For a while, I thought they died, too. But they didn't. They knocked me out, and when I woke up, I didn't know where I was. Then, the man came and made it very clear that I would do exactly what he wanted: find the nations, point them out wordlessly, and, if nesseccary, help apprehend them. If I didn't, or I did anything wrong, I'd be punished. He punished me for small things, or even things I couldn't help, like commenting on something, or sneezing. And every time the nation we were tailing got away- which was every time- he'd beat me, and cut me, and burn me. Mostly burning..."

She removes her jacket, exposing her arms. They're just like Sydney's and Alex's: covered in scars. Hers are more red, though, from burns. Violent red patches litter her pale skin.

"Said I was too pale. Made fun of me for being albino..." she explains, putting the jacket back on, still avoiding eye contact. "I was barely able to escape. I was seventeen by then. He cut me on the face, and I decided that was the last straw. I stabbed him in the shoulder with a piece of scrap metal I found, and then shot outta there."

Prussia raises his eyebrows. "You stabbed a guy?" he asks, sounding approving.

"Just a flesh wound," Louisa says, waving a careless hand. "But anyway, my first toy was the crossbow, so I knew how to use that already, but then I got interested in technology. By the time I was nineteen, I could take apart a computer and put it together in two hours. I was looking around for a job, or something in Vienna. I felt two really old nations, and I just couldn't help myself. I needed to know more. So, I followed them here. I've been hiding out in the woods back there, but I decided it was too freaking cold out there yesterday."

"...Hm..." is Prussia's only response.

"Well, don't just _hm_ at me. Say something, darn it!" Louisa demands, crossing her arms.

"I think...I think you should stay," Prussia offers.

"Ms. Artie says no," Louisa reports, nodding at England, who stops the movement and scratches Lauren's ear. "I kinda agree with her. Him. I don't even know what gender to refer him or her as!"

"Uhm, I'd say girl," Prussia comments, smirking at England. England scowls. Then he tries to do Lauren's signature glare, but he doesn't quite replicate it very well at all. It looks like an exaggerated frown-y face. Prussia just laughs this off and says, "You should stay."

"What if I don't want to?"

"Then you're deemed most-unawesome person in the world and you can leave if you wear the crown of unawesomeness."

Louisa tries to send him a pointed glare, but she seems conflicted. She's not used to people being kind to her, judging from her backstory. I can tell she still doesn't completely trust people yet, and she's old enough to be on her own, so the nations couldn't stop her if she wanted to go. The offer is tempting for her: a warm bed and food must sound pretty awesome for someone who probably hasn't had much of that in around four years.

Finally, she nods. "All right..." she says quietly. Then her face slowly spreads into a smile. "Yeah. I'd like that."

"Awesome," Prussia says, showing off his pointy-toothed grin. "Well, then. Let's go meet the unawesome everyone else, ja?"

"Ja, sure," Louisa says, getting up.

England just kind of stares at her, but I smile and wave a bit apprehensively. She might still be sore from me withholding her camera like that. However, she smiles and waves back.

China passes by. Once his back is turned, Louisa glomps him.

"Aiyaah!" China yelps right before his face a squished into the carpet. "Get off me, aru!"

Louisa does, grinning and laughing. "You're just like Lauren, aru!" China shouts at her as he picks himself up.

"Is that an insult?" she asks.

China catches the not-so-intimidating glare from England and the slightly intimidating one from me, and he goes, "No, aru," in a quieter voice.

"Issa!" England's voice calls. I turn and see Lauren wearing a tuxedo, a top hat, and a monocle. She also somehow obtained Romano's "secret weapon of ultimate destruction," and she's wearing that, as well. She looks at me seriously.

"Yeah?" I ask.

"I mustache you a question," she says. I laugh.

"What is it? Or will you _shave_ it for later?" She giggles at me, and I steal her top hat.

Dimah walks up and starts cuddling England, who still has Lauren's body. England went pale and stiff, and I laugh again while prying him off. When I turn around, Lauren had run off. When I figure out the direction she most likely went, I start off, taking Dimah with me in case he tried to kiss England.

Lauren would _not_ be happy.

Or England. Or Dimah.

And also that would be kind of weird.

When I hear the piano music, I hesitate, thinking it might be Austria, and, frankly, he scares me. But then I hear the singing. It's Iggy's voice, but Lauren's style.

"I remember when I moved in you, the holy dove was movin' too, and every breath we drew was hallelujah~!" Lauren belts out in English.

Somehow, she manages to hit the high notes with England's voice, which I find remarkable.

Dimah frowns at me. "Only Lauren sings like that," he says in Japanese. "Did something happen that I should know of?"

The music stops and Lauren appears by my side, still decked in the suit, monocle, and mustache. "Da," she says. "I used magic to bring back Mother Russia. And because I used Arthur's stuff, we switched bodies. So...yeah. It's awkward," she explains, and Dimah blinks, processing this data.

"...So..._You're_ Lauren."

"Da," she says.

"But you're in England's body."

"Yep."

"...That's...not natural."

"I know!" she exclaims, giggling. "I used magic~!"

"Oh, don't tell me you don't believe in magic!" Lauren laughs when Dimah doesn't answer. "It's magic that's making you turn into Russia~!"

"...Yes, but it's a magical creature that made you...Y'know..." He gestures to his neck.

Lauren immediately sobers. "...Teacup didn't make me," she says. "I chose it. Granted it was a rash and terrible decision, but there you go."

_Oh-em-gee I feel so awkward,_ I tell Canada.

_The dreaded third-wheel!_ he says. Then he gets serious and says, _Maybe you should leave them to work it out for themselves...? Or help resolve the problem...?_

I stoop, pick up Teacup, and hold him out. "Teacup, apologize," I demand.

He hisses at me, and I hiss right back. "_I will do no such thing. Apologizing is not in my nature,"_ he says snootily.

"Just two little syllables," I say.

He claws at my hand until I scowl and put him down. "Fine then. Scram."

"You don't have to make him say sorry," Lauren tells me, crossing England's arms over his chest.

Now it's Dimah who looks a little third-wheel-ish.

"Okay," I say quickly. "Sorry."

"I didn't mean to snap at you," she tells me. "Or you, Dimah."

"It's okay," we both say at the same time. Then we both hug Lauren at the same time, and everyone laughs.

Josh runs up, and I tense. "You guys gotta come quick," he says urgently.

"What is it?" Lauren asks.

"England's in the kitchen!"

"Oh, _heck_, no!" Lauren exclaims, and we all dash off to stop the mass chaos that might occur. We find him in the corner with his back to us; he's wearing an apron over Lauren's clothes, and it's obvious the oven caught fire several times. Several plates of hockey pucks lay on the counter, and there's a putrid smell hanging around.

Austria will _not_ be happy.

"England, put down the spoon!" I shout.

"What? Why?!" he asks too innocently, turning around from the bowl he was mixing stuff in.

"Just put it down."

He sets the spoon on the counter. "What's this about?"

"Did you finish your book?" Lauren asks, expertly changing the subject.

"No, not yet...why?"

"I think I just saw Americat biting pages out."

England runs out, tossing the apron over my head like I'm a clothes rack. _Well, thank you, Iggy,_ I think sarcastically, removing it.

Prussia and Louisa walk into the room, and they wrinkle their noses. "England was cooking," I explain.

"Oh. Right," Prussia says. Then he turns to Louisa. "If you ever see Artie in the kitchen, _stop him_."

"Whatever," she laughs.

Dimah suddenly seizes, and his eyes glaze over. Lauren and I exchange worried glances, and then we grab one of his arms each. He starts _kolkolkol_-ing at Louisa, and he's struggling against us.

"I thought he already saw Berlin Wall!" I exclaim.

"I thought so too!" Lauren answers, gritting her teeth as Dimah gives the arm she's holding a thrash.

"Get her out of here!" I yell in Prussia's direction. Prussia nods tensely, obviously terrified of the Russian, and shoos Louisa out the way they came. She looks happy to leave.

"Dimah! Dimah, stop!" Lauren calls, desperately clinging to his arm and pushing back with her feet the way opposite Dimah's trying to go. I see Josh got in front of Dimah, and he's trying to football-shove Dimah away from the doorway the Prussia's just left. You know, how the players lower one shoulder and charge.

Dimah suddenly lets out a spurt of energy, and he flails his arms. I'm lifted off the ground for a second as I succeed in hanging on. Lauren isn't so lucky, and she flies across the room with a gasp.

"Lauren!" I shout.

Dimah crumples, his eyes no longer glazed, breathing heavily. "Wh-what happened?"

I don't answer, because as soon as I know he's not going to freak out like that again, I rush over to Lauren. She's still conscious, but holding England's head in her hands. She's bleeding a little from a small cut on her temple, but she seems fine; just in shock.

From across the room, Dimah lets out a strangled gasp and shoots to his feet. He seems conflicted, like, should he come and check on Lauren? But he stares at his hands, like they mutated or something (which they didn't), and backs away.

"I'm sorry," he says. "I didn't mean to. I- I'm sorry." And then he turns and runs away.

"What's he talking about?" Lauren frowns at me. "Of course he didn't mean to. He didn't know what he was doing..."

Josh rubs his head. "That's so weird; you're not even England, and I felt that."

"...Well, let's go talk to him..." I suggest quietly.

"Yeah, sure," she says. She gets up and wipes the blood from England's forehead, and sets off rapidly down the way Dimah left.

"So..." I start. "Can you still, like, hear England in your head?"

"Nope," he says. "Just Lauren now."

"That's weird..." I say.

"Yeah. I don't even understand anything anymore."

I smile. "Sorry for kinda freaking out earlier..."

"It's okay. I don't blame you," he says back.

We pass the Italies (Rome included), Spain, and Rin. Italy and Romano seem to be bickering. "It's not my freaking fault!" Romano says, flailing his arms and hitting Spain in the face. He doesn't seem sorry, or even try to apologize. Spain doesn't seem to care.

"Th-then wh-what happened to him!?" Italy cries.

"I don't know!" Romano explodes.

"Hey!" I shout, getting between them so Romano won't hit Italy. Italy gladly hides behind me. "What's wrong?!"

"It's Alex," Rin says, looking terrified and confused.

"Wh-what about him?"

"Ve...You know how we can hear him in our heads?" Italy asks.

"Both of you?" I ask Romano. He nods tersely.

"Something happened..." Italy says sadly, worriedly poking his fingertips together. "We can't hear him anymore..."

**Aaaaand, SCENE. **

**:3 Yay, you guys got to see how Sydney and Alex are doing! But something happened to Alex! :U Oh noooo! And yay, Germany's not completely evil~! :D**

**Yeah. Not as long as usual. Sorreh. **

**QUESTION ONE—What happened to Alex?**

**QUESTION TWO—Do you think "Cutter" is an acceptable name for him?**

**RANDOM QUESTION—What's the last thing you ate?**

**QUESTION FOUR—Do you like or hate dresses/ skirts?**

**QUESTION FIVE****—****What does a person say to you that always cheers you up? **

**Heh. Yeah. That's all I got. :B Sorry for lame questions. **

**DON'T TOMATO/ BRICK ME THIS IS ON TIME OKEY **


	17. Cold and Warmth

**Hello~! :D **

**I don't remember if this is late or not. :B Well, I guess not. What is it, the twenty-eighth? I updated last on the sixteenth, so, ja, it's not not that late. :3**

**el18m, Art and Soul, fireflame1801, AkitaNeruWolfLover, JustMakeLeftTurns, hetaliaforever123, Charlotte and Rashka, CelticGirl7, Kitana Lunara, MistMaiden52, and Bre-chan are zhe awesomest und deserve wurst. **

**...**

**PRUSSIA GET OUT OF MEIN HEAD **

**Okay. He's gone. :3 **

**Okay, so, no, the Italies can't not hear Alex because he passed out, it's a different reason. And that shall me explained hopefully this chapter. :3 So, the whole lookalike-communication thing, it still works when they're asleep. They're still aware of their country (or their lookalike), and they can see their dreams. I think I put in a few chapters ago in Issa's POV, "Canada's asleep. He's dreaming about maple. I love this guy so much," or something like that. **

**I just watched the Avengers. :3 And the gag reel. "COULSON! NO! COOOOUUUULLLSOOOOOOONNNNN! COULSON, NOOOOOOOO! YOU WILL BE AVENGED. I WILL GET THE AVENGERS, AND YOU WILL BE AVENGED." I lol'd so hard there. And where Thor just couldn't quite catch his hammer. XD**

**Okay. I'll shut up and start writing. :3**

Alex's POV

I don't understand anything. Everything's a blur. I don't—… I don't get it… What happened?...

I remember my beating. I remember passing out. But I woke up and..._nothing_. I can't hear the Italies. I don't know if they can hear me.

The world around me swirls together into a mix of grey and brown. My entire back is numb, and I realize I'm lying down. Where am I? I'm not in the basement; there's too much light.

When I try to sit up, my head throbs. And I mean a _lot_. It's like someone's stabbing me with a white-hot nail, and it _hurts_.

_Stop being a wimp and sit up_, I tell myself harshly. I want to obey myself, but I'm just so weak and tired and hungry and thirsty, and I can't think straight, and it hurts so bad, so I just stay down. I'm lying on some sort of mat. Now that I'm awake, I realize it's not very comfortable. I think it's made of straw.

Doesn't matter. I can't move, anyhow.

I don't know how long I stare at the ceiling. The time seems to pass as I blink; first it's morning, bright and shiny, which doesn't help my headache. Then it's afternoon, and the light isn't in my eyes anymore. Evening; the light's all orange, and the sun's setting. Finally, night; no brightness at all. At least, not naturally. There's a dim light from somewhere above my head; I guess it's coming from the hallway, or something. I can't tell if the door's open, or if the light's coming in from a crack.

It's _cold_.

I want Sydney and Rin. I want them here with me. I want them to make it stop hurting.

I've noticed something; throughout the day, the world keeps coming more into focus. Not a lot; just a little.

I blink again. Everything's still dark. The pain in my head has cooled down from a searing agony to a sharp stab, which I can live with. I sit up.

"Good. You have awaken," someone says. I'm not familiar with the voice. I've heard it before, I know that, but not enough to recognize it. "I saw you awoke earlier, but you were drugged badly."

"...Drugged..." I repeat thickly. My voice slurs so much it's hardly comprehensible.

"Yes." I open my eyes, and there's a small person in front of me. It's too dark to see who it is.

"...Sydney..." I say. "I have—I have to—Where is she? I need to make sure—" I try to push myself into a standing position, but my waning strength and the person's hands keep me down.

"Don't strain yourself," he orders.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"I need her," I insist quietly.

"You need to rest."

"I was asleep for, like, two days. I'm rested."

"No, you're not. Just relax."

"I—I can't—I don't want—" I stutter incessantly.

"You might damage yourself even further," he warns.

"I don't care!" I yell. "I need to see her!" My voice grates harshly against my eardrums, but I don't care.

"...Perhaps keeping you drunk is a better idea..." he muses to himself. Then to me, "Lie down again."

I don't. But I'm too weak to resist when he pushes me down. And as soon as I'm down, I'm out.

When I wake up again, it's light out. Morning.

Way too freaking cheerful.

I open my eyes. I finally recognize the person; it's Germania. His eyes trail on me as I turn my head to see him better. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," I mutter.

"...What is that?"

"I feel terrible," I clarify grouchily, sitting up and rubbing my head.

"Why did you not just say so?" Germania asks, confused.

"...Look, dude, apparently, I've been drugged, so my mind's not the sharpest lately, and I'd appreciate it if you'd _shut up,_" I snap, rubbing my head some more.

"We must not fight," he says firmly.

"Nngh," I respond, still clutching at my head. It _hurts_. Not as badly as before, but still. And it's _cold_. _Freezing_ cold. I honestly don't think I've ever been this cold before.

"Are you all right?" he asks.

"I don't know," I answer truthfully.

"What hurts?"

"Everywhere," I whisper as I shudder. Germania's presence isn't helping. Well, in the smallest form, it is; when I stop shivering because of him, my body temperature flares up again. It only helps for a minute, and then I'm back in the cold. Is my breath visible? I don't know; everything's still just so... It's like nothing's real. It's like I'm watching someone else.

Germania watches me for a minute, and then he goes, "Are you able to touch your thumb and your littlest finger together?"

I frown at him, but I try it, and it turns out I can't. That's not good. He puts his fingers under my chin, to check my pulse or something, and I'm too weak to resist, and he frowns.

"Hypothermia," he diagnoses. "Here. I apologize; my new body is smaller than yours." And then he's wrapping something around my shoulders. I think it's that jacket he had.

"Thanks," I mumble, gratefully trying to warm myself with it. What are treatments for hypothermia again? Removing anything wet; I'm dry, and my pants and underwear are the only things I have left, so...I can't remember anything else, except for keeping the hypotherm—hypoth—hypo—Is there a name for people with hypothermia? Like, how someone with insomnia is an insomniac...Okay. Keeping the hypothermiac warm.

Germania is unhappy with something. "...I wasn't planning on doing this, but you're too ill. Here." He holds something—a cup—to my mouth. "Drink this." I take a sip. It seems to be warm water. Something tastes off about it, though... Oh well. I shouldn't complain. I sip again, trying to take the cup out of his hands. "No," he protests. "I think it's drugged. Better if I hold it."

Oh, joy. More drugs.

I wonder what drug it is. I don't think it's chloroform; that doesn't hurt as much. I just hope it's not something like heroin or cocaine, or something like that...Then again, why would the bad guy give prisoners crack?

Well, there's a reason he's keeping us drugged. I think it might be so I can't communicate with the outside.

I guess that makes sense...Well, for him...

The world starts going in and out of focus again. "Drugged," I report, slurring my words.

"Ah. Well, at least you won't be in pain," Germania says regretfully.

"We'll see about that," I mutter, lying back down and curling into a shivering ball.

I think the door opens. Germania stands up, I know that. Blearily, I turn my head and try to see who it is, but I make no move to get up. It's Germany.

Yay.

"My boy," Germania immediately starts off in a pleading tone, "what's gotten into you!?"

"Not relevant," he answers coldly.

_Don't think about the cold_, I tell myself. _Cold is bad. Think warm thoughts.._.

"It _is_ relevant!" he quips. "Why are you _doing_ this?! What could you _possibly_ hope to _gain_?!"

"World domination?" Germany answers. "Riches? Everything I've ever wanted?"

"Germany," he begs, "this is not you. What happened to—"

"To the 'sweet' and 'innocent' little boy you once knew? He was never there. This is all I've known my whole life. And it's all your fault."

"_My_ fault!?" Germany echoes indignantly. "How is this _my_ fault?!"

"You were never there for me," he answers. "It's always about the eldest of the family, isn't it?"

"I was there for you!" Germania protests.

Then, something happens. It's like, all of his facial muscles twitch at once. Then he says, "Don't listen to anything he has to say!"

...What?

"Alex! Alex, it's Sydney!" Germany cries. "Listen, I don't have much time! You have to run, get out of here, and Germany and I'll hold him off! Germania! You know how to teleport, don't you?"

"Ah...it's been a few centuries..." he admits.

Germany's face twitches again. "Just think hard about leaving while you run. Everything should pause around you, and you need to scroll down to Austria. And... Grandfather... Forgive me..."

"Oh—...okay..." he says faintly. Germania pulls me up. "Well? Let's go, then!"

Germany twitches again. "Go! Run! He's breaking free!"

"...Sydney...?" I murmur as Germania makes me pass him and run down the hallway.

"I'll be fine, he can't hurt me! Go!"

And then I'm running, and I'm not sure how to stop. Everything hurts, starting off with small pinpricks, and then snowballing into stabbing pain everywhere on my body. But Sydney told me to run, so I'll run...

I think that drug had side-effects. As I run, I have to dodge several columns of fire, but once I pass them, they start following. Slow at first, and then they speed up, chasing after us. I make myself speed up, but Germania stays in front of my no matter how hard I sprint.

Suddenly, Germania grabs my wrist, and, just like Germany said, everything stops. I swivel around to try and glimpse the fire, but there's nothing there.

"_Scroll_..." Germania keeps muttering to himself. "How does one _scroll_...?" Tentatively, he holds out a hand, and then swipes it down. A long list of names moves.

I have to do a double take. Yes, there's words _floating in midair_.

...How high _am_ I?!

Germania grabs my wrist again. There's a flash of light, and then I'm falling.

...Okay, I must be pretty darn high.

The ground slams under my feet, and I crumple. There's a loud thump, like someone knocked something over. Then—"Alex!" Someone slams full-speed into me.

"R—...Rin?" I stutter, weakly wrapping my arms around the attacker.

"Mmhmm!" she nods into my chest, not loosening her grasp in the slightest. I hug her as tightly as I can, which, I notice, isn't very much.

"I've missed you so much!" I whisper in her ear.

"Me too," she murmurs. I see she's crying.

"Hey—shh it's all right..." I feebly tell her, stroking her hair.

Next to me, still standing, Germania falls to the ground as someone glomps him. Someone else glomps me from behind. I don't need to know who's got me this time; he's talking incessantly about nothing. It's Veneciano. I twist my head around, and I see Romano's standing by the doorway, pretending he doesn't care, but I know better. "You can be happy if you want," I call to him, grinning. He sighs dramatically, comes forward while muttering under his breath in Italian, and he pats my head. "Nothing to say to me?" I ask innocently.

"Yeah. What the freak's wrong with you!? You scared the crap outta me!"

A few feet away, Germania pushes an over-excited Rome off him. "...We've returned..." he announces.

"Little late, there," America says, sounding amused. He turns and yells, "HEY, IGGY! C'MERE!"

"_What_?!" England asks, sounding far away.

"HERE! NOW!" America shouts.

Rin starts to pull away and tell me something, but I hold her close to me, protesting, "No, you're warm!"

"What's wrong with you?" she asks.

"Well, I think I'm drunk, and according to Germania, I'm hypothermic," I inform her in a matter-of-fact kind of tone.

"Hypothermic—What—?"

"Hypothermia," I explain. "Y'know...hypothermia...hypothermiac...hypothermic..."

"Yeah, you're drunk," America agrees.

"How?!" Rin asks a bit shrilly.

"I dunno. Snuck up on me. That— water—" I point at Germania, cueing him.

"The first time, I'm not entirely sure. But I admit the second time is my fault. Germany knew he has hypothermia, so he provided warm water, and that was drugged. I had a suspicion, and I wasn't planning on letting him drink it, but he was losing temperature quickly," he explains. "I had no other choice."

"It's okay," Rin says quickly, "you were trying to help."

"On the bright side, it doesn't hurt anymore," I throw in, grinning cheerfully.

"...You're scaring me..." Veneciano whimpers, backing away from me.

"Who gave you permission to leave?" I question, gesturing for him to come back. "You're warm, too!"

Veneciano shrinks back up to me and continues the hugging. "Romano!" I call. "Here! I bet you're warm, too!"

"No freaking way," he dismisses, scowling at me.

"I'll hug you~!" Spain chirps.

"Yesss...Warrrmmm..." I moan in pleasure.

Lauren walks in. "What seems to be the problem, America?" she asks dangerously.

"Alex and Germania're back," he answers placidly, pointing.

"Oh my goodness!" she says. "Are you alright?"

"I'm a hypothermiac!" I chirp.

"...And he's drugged."

"Oh, great," she mutters.

"Wait, I thought—England—"

"Long story," Lauren says. "In a nutshell, I'm England."

"All right, then," I shrug.

"Come on, up you get," he (she?) says.

"No, they're warm!" I protest, not wanting to remove myself from my cocoon of heat.

"Well, we wouldn't want you over-heating, now, would we?" England says.

"Yeah," Rin agrees, untangling herself. "Get up."

I stand and latch on to her again. "You're still warm, and I've still missed the crap outta you."

She gives me a squeeze. "I've missed you too."

I follow them down the hall and into a room that's white. There's still side effects, like, I keep seeing little sparkly things flying everywhere. England offers me a ball of fabric. "What is it?" I slur.

"A shirt."

I look down. I forgot I'm not wearing one. I don't know where Germania's jacket went.

The door opens.

"Aaaaand this is... Oh. Hey there," someone says.

I look back. "Whoa, you're, like...Red eyes..." I stutter in amazement at the two albino people who just walked in. Rin claps a hand over my mouth, but I don't know what I said wrong.

"I'm sorry. He's a little...drunk..." Rin apologizes.

"Ohhh, so it's _that_ kind of party!" the albino girl says. **(I don't own that one M&M's commercial, but I do laugh every time it comes on. XD)**

"Aw, sweet! Where does Specs keep the beer?" the guy asks.

England facepalms. "Germany drugged him. Just go; he's very sick."

"All right, all right, don't get your panties in a knot..." Prussia says. "C'mon, Louisa."

"Get better!" the newly-dubbed Louisa calls as she leaves.

I giggle feebly. "Yeah, Iggy. Don't get your panties in a knot."

Rin shushes me, trying to hide a smile.

England glares at me and brandishes the shirt again. I put it on. It smells good.

And it's warm.

Heh heh. Now everything seems to be warm.

"Thermometer," England warns a half-second before shoving one in my mouth. I gag, but manage to keep it under my tongue. He makes an approving humming noise once he takes it out of my mouth and looks at it. "Thirty-two degrees Celsius. Only mild. You'll live." **(That's about eighty-nine to ninety-one degrees Fahrenheit. I'm not sure I did the calculation right. I'M NOT GOOD AT MATH, ALRIGHT?! :U)**

He then starts talking about treatments. I zone out most of it. Even though he's in a girl body, he's, like, boring. All I heard was something about warmth and food. And I like them both, so, bring on the treatment!

"Yeah, sure. Okay," I say.

England nods, looking very happy all of a sudden. And then he runs out.

"What did I just agree to?" I ask Rin.

"He asked if you wanted to try a scone," she says.

"Whatever you do, _don't eat it_!" hisses a voice from the door. Issa had stuck her head in. "I'll get you some real food!"

"All rightie, then," I say, "thanks!"

"No problem."

England comes back in with a cup of tea and a plate with a few rocks on it. "Go on," he offers, grinning insanely, "try one."

"Uhm..." I hesitate. I reach out and take one; if this is treatment, I think I'll keep being hypothermic...

The door bursts open. "England!" England's body gasps.

"What is it, Lauren?" England asks himself.

"...It's really important."

"Well, go on, then, spit it out," he says crossly.

Lauren's staring over his shoulder at me with wide eyes, and I realize what she's telling me. I take the scones and stuff them down my shirt.

"Nothing. I just love you. Bye." And then Lauren leaves.

"...All right, then," England says. He looks back at me. "You sure did eat those quickly!" he remarks happily. "Would you like more?" He sounds so excited.

"Nope," I tell him.

He visibly deflates. "Are...Are you sure?"

"Mmhmm. They were really good," I lie, helping myself to some tea. It's very pepperminty. Pepperminty tea. It's warm pepperminty tea.

"Oh...All right, then..." England says. "I'll be right back." And he leaves.

Rin lets out the laugh she was holding, and I can't help but join in.

"This is good tea," I tell her, taking a large gulp.

"I didn't know you liked tea," she says.

"Oh. Well, I do." I take another sip. "It's really sugary."

"Sugary is good," she tells me. "You've been wasting energy with the shivering, and you need to get your blood sugar back up."

"All right, then." I shove the cup under her nose. "Smell it."

She giggles and pushes it away. "It smells good."

"It _tastes_ good."

"You've already told me that."

"Have I? Oh well. I'll tell you again: this is good tea."

"Okay."

I fish out the two scones from under my shirt. "This don't even _smell_ good," I inform her, brandishing one at her. "Go on, smell it."

"I'd rather not," she laughs.

"Smell it!"

"No!"

"Come on!"

"Fine!" She takes one out of my hand and smells it. Then she makes a face.

"I know, right!?" I exclaim.

She giggles and gives me back the hockey puck. "I dare you to take a bite," she says mischievously.

"Fine!" I say.

With all the drugs in my system, this was not a good idea. And I figured that out as soon as I took a bite. My eyes got all big, and I spit it out as soon as I could.

"Ew! Ew ew ew ew gross ew nasty," I chant in between sips of the tea. "Don't eat that," I advise.

"I wasn't going to!" she laughs.

"Good!"

"You took a bite, didn't you?" Issa asks from the door. "I warned you!"

"Yes you did!" I agree, trying to get rid of the taste with the tea.

"Well, here's some good food," she says with a smirk, coming in and handing me a tray. My mouth waters.

"I haven't eaten in, like, a week," I tell her as I pick up the fork and attack the pancakes.

"Then, by all means, eat!" she says.

"...Okay, did you make these? Because if you did, I think I love you."

She laughs. "No, it was Canada. He makes good pancakes."

"Heck yeah, he does!" I agree enthuastically.

Issa smiles, and she looks out the door. "...I hope you like pasta..."

I look up curiously, and then Veneziano comes in with a _crap ton_ of pasta. I'm serious; the bowl he used was the side of my head. Romano skulks behind him. "You're gonna eat that, or else," he threatens idly, pointing at me with a soup ladle. I don't even know where he got that. At least he's not throwing tomatoes everywhere.

I heard that, you little—

_Wait, you heard that?!_

Romano looks stunned. Yeah...I heard that...

_Heard what?_ Vene asks.

_Communication back on!_ I think in triumph. _Take that, Germany!_

_Take what?_ Vene starts freaking out. _I know he's being really mean lately, but please don't hurt him, because he's still my best friend, and I don't want him to be hurt, and-!_

_Veneciano, I'm not gonna hurt him. I'm just glad everything is slightly back to normal._

_Oh. All right, then..._

Eat the freaking pasta. You're weak.

_I'll take that as sympathy, but, yes, pasta sounds good._

_Yay~! Pasta makes everything better~!_ Veneziano thinks as he shoves the ginormous bowl towards me. I eagerly dig in.

_It's good,_ I tell them. _Thanks. Thanks a lot._

_You're welcome~!_

Don't get all sentimental on me. I get enough of that from the tomato jerk.

I'm only able to finish about half of the pasta. I let Rin tuck me into one of the beds here.

"You'll probably feel a little hung-over once the drugs wear off," England warns me. "I'm not sure what he used, but the after effects are probably the same."

"You mean, I'll be puking everywhere and have a splitting headache?"

"Pretty much."

"Bring it on."

"All right, then. Let someone know if you need painkillers." And then he leaves.

"Don't leave?" I ask Rin.

"Of course I won't," she tells me, holding my hand reassuringly.

"...I couldn't get Sydney out of there..." I whisper plaintively.

"No," she says firmly. "Don't feel guilty because of that. It's not your fault. She's going to be fine."

"That's what she told me," I say. "Did you know we can take over our nation's body if we fight hard enough?"

"You mean—"

"Yeah. I think Sydney was talking to me though Germany. But...she was talking about a third person...She said something like, 'Germany and I'll hold him off.' Like Germany wasn't the one trapping us there in the first place."

Rin silently processes my words, and then she begins slowly stroking my hair in a motherly fashion. "She's going to be all right," she repeats. When she says that one more time, I realize she's trying to comfort herself more than me.

I fall asleep to that; the slow, thought-filled strokes of my hair, Rin's murmurings, and the taste of the pepperminty tea in my mouth.

Issa's POV

I really like the relationship between the Axis lookalikes. You'd think a guy like Alex would've ruined their relationship by now, by dating one of them and breaking their hearts, or something like that, but their friendship is just so pure and innocent.

And I'm talking about their friendship, not their weapons skills. _That_ is most definitely not innocent.

Talk about freaking _bosses_.

When the Italies were freaking out in the hallway, Lauren had gone on ahead to look for Dimah. Josh stayed for a few minutes, trying to see if he could help with anything, but when he realized he couldn't, he left. I was confused as to why their communication shut off until Alex came back. It was quite obvious he was drugged. And, Germany probably drugged him to make sure he couldn't talk to the Italies, and that was very effective.

Rin was beside herself with joy when Alex and Germania teleported in. I was so surprised, I knocked over a nearby umbrella stand. Then I picked it back up in case Austria comes in and asks why his umbrella stand is on the ground. Austria kind of reminds me of Effie Trinket from the Hunger Games **(Which I do not own)**. Like, "_That. Is. Mahogany__._" I can _so_ imagine Austria saying that.

Getting off topic.

Anyway, once people were taking care of Alex and Germania, I wandered off to look for Dimah and Lauren. I found them in a room with a piano. It's not the best piano (the best one is in the front hall on display), but this one is good, too. Lauren seems to be teaching Dimah how to play a song I don't recognize. I don't think it's working, but it certainly looks like fun.

"No no no, this finger goes _here_, on G sharp," Lauren corrects.

"I thought _this_ was G sharp!"

"Nope, it's this one."

Dimah laughs. "My fingers are too big for this."

"Nonsense!" Lauren dismisses. "Play it again!"

Dimah slowly and shakily presses down each key, forming a melody that's beautiful once you look past the few dissonant mistakes he makes. "I did it!" he exclaims happily.

"Good~!" Lauren chirps. "Now do it again!"

Dimah visibly deflates, and he scowls playfully at her, but he repeats the tune. Lauren keeps making him play it until he finally does it with no mistakes. And, yes, I just hover in the background, watching like a stalker.

Hm. "Stalking." I think I'll go stalk Lithuania.

I feel Canada's disapproving shadow. _What?_ I ask. _He's adorable~!_

_I thought I was adorable!_

_You are! But you've gotten used to me!_

_...You have a sick and twisted mind._

_I'd've thought you'd've already noticed this by now!_

_Touché__._

I walk down the corrider, but I stop at the hospital door. I think everyone's moved out, and Alex, Rin, and England are in there. England, hope sparkling in Lauren's brown eyes, goes, "Do you want to try a scone?"

"Yeah. Sure. Okay," Alex says.

Horror fills me, and England skips out, looking ecstatic. Once he's gone, Alex asks Rin, "What did I just agree to?"

"He asked in you wanted to try a scone."

"Whatever you do, _don't eat it,_" I tell him in a whisper-yell. "I'll get you some real food!"

"Alrightie, then, thanks," Alex tells me, looking slightly confused.

"No problem," as I run out. _Feel up for making pancakes?_

_When am I not?_

_That's my boy~! Let's go make pancakes~!_

_How long have I been "Your boy"?_

_Since right now. Scoot! Hop to it!_

_Sheesh. Impatient, much?_

I hiss at him in my mind, and I feel him chuckle. It's weird, sharing your head. It's like, thinking about something. You visualize it in your head. You can almost see it, but at the same time, you still see what's right in front of you. Now, it's like I have three little extra TV screens in my head; one is for my mind, one is for Canada's mind, and the other's for Canada's vision. Whatever he sees, I see in my peripheral vision. It's really really abnormal.

Anyway, he makes it to the kitchen before I do, and he starts making pancakes. I see the Italies and Spain are with him, and they're making pasta; Italy and Romano are making the noodles out of dough, and Spain's making the sauce.

I notice an abundance of tomatoes around him.

_...AND A TURTLE. OH MY GOSH, HE HAS A TURTLE ON HIS HEAD._

_...Uh...All right...?_

_YOU DON'T GET IT. IT'S. A. FREAKING. TURTLE. _

_I know that! What's so important about a turtle?!_

_They're cute._

_EVERYTHING'S cute to you._

_Not England's scones. _

Canada bursts into laughter, and Spain and the Italies stare at him. "Nothing," he says to them. "Just-" he points at his head, and then lets his hand fall, "-Yeah." They turn away, back to their pasta.

Canada's really fast at making pancakes. He knows the recipe by heart. _...Dude, you're a freaking BEAST at this,_ I tell him in amazement.

_Thanks,_ he replies, concentrating. In no time at all, he's made a stack of the fluffy pastries. I put some on a plate, dump maple syrup on them, and put them on a tray, along with a fork and a knife. Then I walk back to the hospital room.

The door's open. "Ew! Ew ew ew ew gross ew nasty," I hear Alex gasp. A few seconds pause, and then he tells Rin, "Don't eat that."

"You took a bite, didn't you?" I ask in amusement. "I warned you!"

"You did," Alex agrees wholeheartedly, taking a large gulp from a mug in his hands.

"Well, here's some good food," I offer, holding out the tray. He takes it and starts eating.

"I haven't eaten in, like, a week," he mutters, his mouth full.

"Then by all means, eat!"

He's silent for a minute. Then, "...Okay, did you make these? Because if you did, I think I love you."

I giggle. "No, it was Canada. He makes good pancakes."

_Oh, stop it, you,_ he thinks to me, pretending to blush.

"Heck yeah he does!" Alex agrees enthusiastically.

I hear footsteps, and I look out the door. The Italies are coming down the hall with what looks like a giant rubber band ball in a bowl. "...I hope you like pasta..." I tell Alex. He looks up curiously, and he seems stunned by the amount of food.

"You're gonna eat that, or else," Romano threatens, jabbing in his direction with a ladle. There's a few minutes of silence where the three just stare at each other. Then Italy smiles and pushes the pasta bowl at him, and he wastes no time digging in.

I wander away, down the hall. There's an open door, and people moving and conversing quietly in it. I'm suddenly on edge, but then I recognize my family. "Hi," I say in English, announcing my arrival.

"Hi, Issa!" Renae says happily, throwing her arms around me. I lift her up.

"Y'know, I shouldn't still be able to do that," I tell her as I let her down.

"I know. I'm just special," she responds.

"And don't you forget it!" I lightly tap her on the nose. She giggles.

"Hi, Mommy," I tell my mother, hugging her. She willingly accepts my embrace.

"Wow, have you grown? I haven't seen you in so long!" she jokes.

"I'm still taller than you," I tease.

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to change."

"Me neither."

"So what'cha been up to? Or is that some international secret that I can't know about?"

"Nothing much," I respond. "Two prisoners in Germany escaped today, and we got another person on our side."

"That's great!" Mom replies. She smiles, almost sadly, and strokes my cheek, right where my scar was. "Listen," she starts, and I suddenly have a sense of foreboding, "I've been thinking about going back to D.C.."

I feel my face fall slightly. "I can't come with you," I remind her.

"I know." She sighs. "It's just, my vacation time's almost up, and I need to get back to my job. You and Renae still have school, but obviously, this's more important."

"Ugh. I forgot about school. When I get back, it's going to be a nightmare," I say. "Do you really have to?" I ask plaintively. "What if Germany goes after you guys again?"

"That's what I'm worried about..." she says heavily. "And leaving you here. I mean, yes, they're responsible adults— well, most of them—, but honestly, I've just met them, and I'm having a few trusting issues."

"I trust them," I frown. "They saved my life, more than once."

"I know," she replies quickly. "I know. I have nothing against them. Well, except for that one guy. Germany. And Japan."

"Yeah, we're not big Germany or Japan fans around here, either...But really? You really have to go?"

"Yeah..." She looks as happy about it as I do.

Renae hugs me, burying her face in my shoulder. "Did you know otters hold hands when they're asleep so they don't drift apart?"

"No, I didn't," I respond lightly, stroking her hair.

"Well, I have something for you so we don't drift apart when we're gone..." She lets go of me and looks through Mom's suitcase. She offers me something silver. "Your leaf necklace broke, so I fixed the chain..."

Mom holds up the remains of the black chain that was there first. "I wanted it with me, so I could give it to you when I found you guys. But when I came here, you were half-dead, so that kind of became unimportant...It broke in my suitcase, but Renae found some wire and fixed it."

I look at the new chain. It's two long silver wires spun around each other, and then connecting to the little clasps that screw into each other. There's a bead on each side so the wire stays; one's red, and the other's white. Close to the clasps on each side, a little wire is wrapped around multiple times, to give it lasting strength. My leaf slides easily along the makeshift chain, unharmed.

With suddenly trembling fingers, I unclasp the treble clef necklace and twist the chain's clasps together. And then I reach down and put the treble clef necklace around Renae's neck. "You know, I've always thought it looked better on you. You can keep it."

"...Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I smile. I turn to Mom. "And you've got my whole room to choose from," I tell her playfully.

She studies me wistfully for a few minutes. "I'd much rather you come home with us..."

"I can't, though..."

"I know, baby..." She sighs longfully, and strokes my face again. "You look so much like your father..."

"'Except your eyes. You have your mother's eyes, Harry...'" I quote. **(I don't own)**

Mom laughs, and then she pulls me into a bone crushing hug, which I return. I also drag Renae into it.

We just stand there for a minute, hugging. Then Mom pulls away with a soft, "We should probably go now..."

"So soon?"

"Yeah...I'm afraid we might've overstayed out welcome..."

"But you're welcome...!" I protest.

"We still have to leave..."

I sigh in defeat. "Are you flying, or d'you want me to get one of the countries to teleport with you?"

"Teleporting?" Mom echoes, sounding interested.

"Yeah. Lot quicker than flying, if you ask me."

_I'll do it, if you want,_ Canada offers.

"We have a taker, if you want. It's Canada."

"...All right, then..."

_I'll be right there._

"Always keep a can of mace nearby," I tell them. "A taser wouldn't hurt, either. Or a pocketknife."

"Oh, I could never tase or stab a person," Mom dismisses. "But the mace sounds like a good idea. And it's legal."

"Is tasing legal? Like, if it's self-defense..."

"I'm not sure," she shrugs.

"You, too, Doodlebug. Pepper spray. Lots of it," I tell Renae, booping her nose again. She makes a face at me.

"I don't think they'll allow that in school," she says.

"Well, if they do, that helps with the bullying problem. Just threaten to pepper spray them, and they'll leave you alone!" I chirp.

"That's mean, though," she protests.

"They're mean, too."

"Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Yeah, well, three lefts do."

She laughs. "I see what you did there."

"Yeah."

Canada's right outside the door. _Are they ready?_

"You guys want to go _now_?" I ask.

"...Yes," Mom says determinedly.

Canada comes in. "Okay, then." He turns to me. "Do you want to come?"

"Yeah," I respond, latching onto Mom's and Renae's arms.

"Okay, then...You might want to close your eyes," he warns them. Renae shuffles closer to me. There's a flash of light, and the falling sensation happens, and then we're standing outside my house.

I smile at the familiar surroundings. I don't care I'm not wearing shoes, and now my socks are wet with snow. I'm home. Even though I know I won't be staying long, I can't help but be happy.

Mom takes the key out of her purse and opens the door. As soon as the barrier is gone, a little ball of white and brown fur darts out, marking like mad and licking every living person in the yard.

"Hey, Ozzie~!" I grin, kneeling down while he spazzes out, trying to lick my face clean off. "D'you still remember me?" He gets my glasses, and I try to push him away when he goes for my mouth. "Yeah, I've missed you too."

Oz dives at Canada, standing up on his hind legs and using him for support, yipping wildly, as if to say, "Who are you and why are you here? Oh, forget that, I love you!"

Canada gently pats the Jack Russell terrier on the head, and Oz licks his hand. He wipes it dry on his fur.

"I thought Mrs. Davies was looking after him," I told Mom.

"She is. I gave her a key," Mom answers. She keeps stroking my face and staring at it hungrily, like she's never seen me before. "You have to stay safe," she orders.

"I know. I will."

"No, I want your promise. No more suicide attempts, no more running off to play hero, none of that, am I clear?!" Her voice grew, from a slight whisper, to almost yelling, and I'm taken aback.

"Mom, I'll be fine...I promise..." I hug her. "It's not like I can do anything stupid...Canada's there in my head now to stop me from doing anything like that..."

She hugs me back tightly. "I know, baby, I know..."

Renae hugs the both of us from the side, and I adjust my arms so she's included in the embrace. After a minute, I pull back, saying, "I should go..."

Mom points an accusing finger at Canada. "I want your word, too, young man. Once this is over, my daughter is in one piece. Not one scratch. Got it?"

"Y-yeah," he stutters, also alarmed at her intensity. "I—I promise."

"Good," she says. "I'm holding you to that, just so you know."

"O—okay. No problem."

"Yeah, you'd better _hope_ there's no problem."

Canada mutely squeaks, and I go and grab his arm. "Bye," I'm able to say before the light flashes and the ground falls.

_She called me "Young man." I'm a lot older than her..._ Canada points out once we're back in Austria.

_You know what she meant. You only look like you're in your twenties. _

_Well, I'm more than two hundred years old, so..._

_Whatever._ I close my fingers around the pendant around my neck, feeling the familiar curves and sharp edges. I miss them already. I do feel better, though; this necklace has always made me feel better. I guess you can say it's my lucky charm.

Well...Let's see how much luck it has in store for me from this point on.

**TADA**

**Yay, new chapter~! I've been pushing myself to do this all week, and I'm just like *dead***

**QUESTION ONE- Do you know the formula for converting Celsius into Fahrenheit, or Fahrenheit into Celsius?**

**QUESTION TWO- Are you glad Alex and Germania are safe?**

**RANDOM QUESTION- Take the color of your pants and the last thing you ate, and that's your band name. (Mine's yellow tea. XD)**

**QUESTION FOUR- Do you have a "Lucky Charm?"**

**QUESTION FIVE- Has someone ever taught (or tried to teach) you to play the piano? **

**YAY OKAY THIS IS LIKE THE FIRST TIME I'VE NOT ENDED ON A CLIFFIE WHEN IT'S NOT A FILLER CHAPTER CAN I GET SOME REVIEWS FOR THAT PLEASE?! :U**


	18. World Meeting, anyone?

**HAY GUIES IS THIS LATE? IF IT ISN'T RIGHT NOW, BY THE TIME I POST THIS IT WILL BE I'M SO SORREH**

**Cookies for el18m, AkitaNeruWolfLover, CelticGirl7, fireflame1801, Charlotte and Rashka, JustMakeLeftTurns, tealgirl713, hetalia123, InsanityAintOptional, Kitana Lunara, Otakuchan88, caset290, MistMaiden52! :D **

**Okay, so...hi. :3 I taught myself how to fishtail braid today! I made an anklet out of fishtailed string. It's rainbow. :3**

**OH JA, so, y'know how when I described my room I said there was a big whiteboard on one wall well I found one of my old adgenda books and there's a whole page for just vocabulary words and I wrote them on my whiteboard in different colors I feel so organized. Anyhoo, that's just my way of telling you if I have a big advanced vocabulary word I'mma use it. So if there's a word like polemic or emulate it means i fEEL SO ACCOMPLISHED WITH MYSELF FOR LEARNING A BIG WORD :D :V :B I wish there was a mashup of those three emotocons to describe how ridiculous I feel for being so proud of that little thing but I'm just a retard so it's like i rEGRET NOTHING **

**Oh oh oh, so, mein friend, AkitaNeruWolfLover is writing a story, and I'm really angry that it doesn't have more reviews. I think I'm the only one reviewing. BUT I ASSURE YOU, TIS PURE PRUSSIAN-NESS. It's called **_**A Day in a Millenia**_**. The summary is, "Tiffany Miller has had a tough life. Her parents died when she was young, and she watched helplessly as the love of her life died before her eyes. On her 21st birthday, she makes a wish that sends her into the world of Hetalia. With the help of a ghost named Raine, she must advert a crisis she's been given no details about in order to get home. Will she get home? Does she want to? No." **

**NOW LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND TELL Me STRAIGHT THAT ISN'T AWESOME. **

**caN YOU FREAKING BELIEVE I'M AT EIGHTEEN CHAPTERS ON THE SEQUEL WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE**

**OKEY, WINNERS OF THE OC SUBMITION ISSSS...drumroll please...EVERYONE mwahahah. I did say MAYBE three. I got eight submitted (Thank you hetaliaforever123, Otakuchan88, CelticGirl7, caset290, Kitana Lunara, Valknut, and Becky999! :D) I was looking them over today and I was all, "What the hay. I can fit them all in." So, ja. Philippines belongs to hetaliaforever123, Columbia belongs to Otakuchan88, Peru belongs to CelticGirl7, Argentina belongs to caset290, Dominican Republic belongs to Kitana Lunara, Niger and Nigeria belong to Valknut, Ireland belongs to Mistress of Pocky, and Wales belongs to Becky999. :3 You guys rock.**

**I DON'T OWN HETALIA OR HARRY POTTER**

**Okay I'm shutting up now. :3**

Issa's POV

I really like the moon.

So, a while ago, I was bored and starting exploring Austria's palatial manor. Turns out, there's a whole bunch of secret passages leading to places I haven't seen yet (You didn't hear this from me, but Austria has a room dedicated to cake). I enjoyed exploring the passages; it makes me feel like I'm at Hogwarts. I mean, it makes me feel like a squib at Hogwarts. Only England (well, I guess Lauren too) can use magic. The rest of us are just heavily influenced by it.

So, anyway, I found a stairway to the roof. Yes, the _roof_. The roof of Austria's house is actually a giant balcony. I immediately decided this was going to be my new hiding place if I ever just need to escape. But, I also immediately decided that it's _cold_ out there, but I solved that problem by going back down and finding a warm, fluffy blanket.

And you're still wondering about the moon thing. Well, it's, like, midnight and I'm still slightly nocturnal. So, I've been sitting on the ground, wrapped up in an Issa-burrito, staring at the full moon and the rest of Vienna.

I'm sure you've heard lots and lots of other people describing cities at night; they all say something like "The lights look like a million twinkling fireflies," or something. And if you've seen a city at night for yourself, you most likely agree. I do too. I agree with every cheesy poem or sentence about how breathtaking and gorgeous the lights are. If I had a camera right now, this sight captured on film would be one to show the folks back home.

"What are you doing up here?" asks a voice from behind me. I, lost in my reverie, yelp while violently flinching, and I whirl around. In the dim light, I can make out Austria.

"O—oh, h—hi," I stutter, leaping to my feet. "I was just—watching."

Austria is decked in one of those big purple king's robes— you know them; they're the ones that trail behind you with the white and black poofy fur by the collar. "How long have you known about this?"

"Since, like, I dunno, ten minutes ago," I respond. "I— I can leave if you want me to."

"I frighten you?" He sounds amused.

"Uh—no— I mean, it's your house, and I just kinda dumped a big mess on you and— well, you get it..." I explain (I lied; he scares me).

"I suppose I brought it in on myself, didn't I?" he muses, leaning on the railing and looking off into the distance.

"I'm sorry, by the way," I blurt without any particular warning. "For, y'know, all the messes, and the noises, and everything. I bet it was a lot quieter before you knew me."

"Why would you apologize for that?" he asks.

"I just—...I dunno. I'm half-Canadian. We apologize for everything."

_That's stereotyping!_ Canada protests.

_Oh, can it._

"Still. You didn't ask for Germany to do this to you. You didn't ask for me to get you out of there. You didn't ask for half of Europe—and two-thirds of North America—to up and invite themselves here."

"I know, but I still can't help but feel like everything's my fault— even though I guess it's not," I confess, poking my fingertips together. "I mean, like, I dunno, I was the first one kidnapped—technically—and the first in, like three to five centuries who has exploding blood."

"But none of that is your fault," he insists. "It's Germany's fault— and no is to blame for your blood type."

I smile at him. "Thanks." There's a few seconds of awkward silence, and I decide I have to leave before embarrassing myself further. "Welp, I'm gonna go back downstairs, then. Bye."

"All right. I will see you later." And then he turns around and gazes at the city.

I go down the stairs and into the secret passage.

_Why does he freak you out so much?_

_I dunno. Some people just make me uncomfortable,_ I respond.

From where ever Canada is, America, next to him, answers his cell phone. I emerge from one of the secret passages, and England's talking on his phone. Canada's phone rings, and he takes it out of his pocket. Now that I look around, most of the nations are on their cell phones. _What's with the cell phones today?_ I ask.

_I dunno. Let's find out._

Apparently, it's Canada's boss. He too is soft-spoken and gentle, but he tries to be stern. "Where are you?"

"I told you—Austria's place with half of Europe. Why?"

"The next World Meeting is _tomorrow_!" Mr. Canada's-Boss cried.

Canada slapped a hand to his forehead, and I felt pressure in the same spot on my own head. "Maple!" he exclaimed. "Where is it?!"

"It's in Tokyo!"

"Uh— a—are you s—sure?" Canada asks. "We're most likely not welcome there..."

"Everyone is welcome there. And all of the countries are under a white flag. Germany and Japan can't cause fights..." Canada's boss tells him. And me. But mostly him. He doesn't know I'm eavesdropping on their conversation.

_But I do._ Canada shoots me a look.

_Oh, calm down. It's not like I can help it. _I shoot him an amused glance from my place across the room.

Also from across the room, Louisa hovers next to Prussia. He's showing her some funny video on his computer, and they're laughing. Spain looks over Louisa's shoulder. "...I don't get it," he says after a few minutes.

"Yeah, you've always been oblivious...," Prussia mutters under his breath, seemingly more towards Louisa than Spain. She snorts, and I smile. Prussia made a new friend. They're so close, it's like they've been friends for years.

I wander off. Lauren and Dimah fell asleep on the carpet in front of the piano. _They. Are. So. Cute,_ I think. Lauren (still in England's body) is curled up against Dimah, using his arm as a pillow.

I wonder when they'll switch back to their own bodies. Although, it is kind of funny to see England doing Lauren things. France certainly likes to photograph the quirky things she does while looking like England. England, however, isn't afraid to use Lauren's body to beat up France.

I wander back to mine and Lauren's room and lie down on my bed. Almost unconsciously, I bring my hand up to my neck and grasp my leaf pendant.

I miss them.

XXXXXXXXXXX

When I wake up the next morning, everything seems quiet and still. Then I go to the kitchen, where France is trying to get England to step away from the kitchen.

"_Mon amie_," France says in a pleading voice, "why don't you just go make—tea, or anything—?"

"Don't you '_mon amie_' me, Frog!" England snaps, waving a whisk at him threateningly.

China walks in. "Good morning," he greets us. He stops as he sees England and France, and then he goes, "Aiyaa! Can't you two ever stop fighting, aru?!"

England lowers his whisk-y weapon and turns around to greet China (and most likely pick a fight with him, too) when he stops. "Uhm—what do you have on—"He gestures at his forehead for emphasis.

China's eyes wander up, like it's possible to see your own forehead. Then he orders, "France, let me see your mirror, aru."

"How did you know I have—"

"It's common knowledge, aru!" he snaps. "Now give it!"

France hands over his mirror, and China, after a few minutes of deciphering the handwriting, yelps, "Aiyaa!"

He has "Property of L-Chan" written on his forehead.

In black permanent marker.

I hold my hand over my mouth to stifle the giggle rising up. France doesn't even bother trying to stop a loud "Onhonhon!" from escaping him. England can't help a smile as he says, "L-Chan. That narrows it down to either Lauren or Louisa."

China seems to growl to himself as he doubles around and stomps away. I stalk him so he doesn't break anything. After a few minutes, he finds England's body curled up next to Dimah in front of the piano. "Lauren!" he yells. Both of them wake up with a start.

"What is it!?" Lauren asks, cross at being woken up in such a rude manner.

China wildly gestures to his forehead.

Lauren giggles. "That. Is. Hilarious."

"Did you do it, aru?!" he asks shrilly.

"Nope," she says at once. "But I admire the person who did."

"Gr…I believe you, aru…" China says, giving Dimah a look. Dimah only shrugs. China turns around and stalks over to where Prussia is. Without any sort of warning, he pushes the albino off the couch.

"Hey!" Prussia yelps indignantly, rubbing his head where he hit it. "What was that for?!"

"Where's Louisa?!"

"I dunno! Sleeping, probably!"

China goes off until he finds her in that one room where Austria keeps his technological stuff. She's deep in thought, playing with some wires. "Louisa!" he barks at her.

"What?" she asks a bit too innocently.

"Did you do this, aru?!" He points to his forehead, and suddenly pulls out a marker. "And I found this in my room, aru."

"Never seen it before in my life," she responds with a perfectly straight face. Then, slowly, an evil grin makes its way in her face.

"Uh-huh. Right, aru." China gives her a skeptical look.

"No, seriously." Her grin gets wider. "But I guess that means you're mine now." And then she glomps him.

"Aiyaa!" he cries as her body hits his. I see his hand instinctively reach for his back, where he usually stows his wok. But he must've left that whichever room he stays in, leaving him completely defenseless against any and all glomp-attacks.

I smile to myself and exit the room, despite the loud shrieks of "_HELP ME, ARU!"_ from behind.

Canada wakes up. He's very disoriented. _No, no, I like my maple dry-cleaned only…_

I burst into laughter, and Switzerland gives me a funny look as he passes me. "—Hi—" I mutter at him. I haven't seen him or Lichtenstein in a long while (and, honestly, he scares me just as much as Austria does).

Russia and the Baltic's are up. He's making them pick out an outfit for him for the meeting, although I know he'll be in his normal coat. Latvia says something along the lines of, "B—but w—wouldn't th—this one b—be m—more a—appropriate for th—the m—meeting…?"

I got really cold as I passed that room.

Beware of Russia, kids. He's scary when people tell him not to wear his favorite coat.

When I see England again, he's messing with his magic stuff with Lauren beside him. He seems anxious. I catch the end of their conversation. "…because I _really_ don't want to show up at the meeting in a human's body…"

"That'd be picture-worthy~!" Lauren chirps, watching over his shoulder as he reads something in his spellbook.

"I'd be the laughingstock of the world…" he mutters, mostly to himself. "N—not that I don't like how you look, love, it's just—"

"No, I get it," Lauren interrupts. She looks hopeful all of a sudden. "If you can't reverse it by the time of the meeting, can I come?"

England thinks about it as he flips one of the yellowed pages of his old book. "I don't know…. You might have to, just so it's easier to explain…."

"What about the other peoples?" Lauren asks.

"I'm not entirely sure…." England muses, only half-listening. "I think I might have Issa come….It's a good thing we have to cease fighting for the time of the meeting…. Although…I'll have to speak with my boss…. Humans are strictly forbidden at World Meetings…."

"You make it sound like we're muggles," Lauren points out, resting her chin on her hand.

"Yes, well...," he says. He looks up at me, and then, "Oh. Hello. How long have you been standing there?"

"I dunno," I respond. "A few minutes?"

"So…. Do you want to go, or…?"

"Sure," I reply. I'm caught between fangirling my brains out and having a panic attack. I would love to meet the entire freaking _world,_ but Germany and Japan'll be there…. And they frankly make me want to curl up in the fetal position and cry for years….

Suddenly, England exclaims, "I think this one's it!" He begins to chant nonsense words, and then there's a poof of pink smoke. We all cough a few times, and someone manages, "Did it—work?"

The smoke clears. They don't seem to have changed….

"Did it work?" England's body asks.

Lauren's body looks down at herself. "No…."

"Well…," Lauren still in England's body starts, "maybe Norway or Romania or someone knows how to switch us back…."

"I know perfectly well how to do magic!" England says indignantly, puffing up Lauren's chest.

England's mouth twitches from lack of smiling. "I know that, Arthur…."

"Hmph," England mutters, turning back around to the book. After a few seconds, he drops his tsundere act and decides it's about time to leave.

"But…," he looks down at Lauren's body, still dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.

Lauren sighs, and she almost glares at him before deciding it's for the best, and she lets him change clothes on the condition that he keeps his eyes closed.

"You have to change, too!" England tells her, thrusting his normal clothes at her. Y'know, his green jacket and green pants and stuffs.

Lauren takes the clothes, and, with a long sigh through her nose, she goes into the bathroom. When she comes back out, she still has England's eyes shut tightly. "Did I do this right?" she asks him.

"Yes," England responds. He's fidgeting in a white blouse and a navy blue skirt. "How do girls _stand_ this?" he mutters, half to the both of us and half to himself.

"I certainly don't," I mumble back.

"…Oh yes you will," England says suddenly. He takes my hand and drags me to a closet, and he hands me a random set of formal clothes. "If my boss allows it, I won't have you showing up in street clothes."

I glower at him, but take the clothes and change in the bathroom. It's a white lacey dress with a tan belt around the middle. The sleeves are kinda cool; they look like angel wings the way they drop from my armpits and seem to tuck into the belt. Really small angel wings, but still. I decide this is better than whatever Poland could dig up, and I walk back out.

"Brush your hair," England tells me. Again, I make a face at him.

"Yes, Mom," I tease.

"Can I braid your hair~?" Lauren chirps.

"Uh, sure," I respond. I hand her the hairbrush and sit on the floor in front of the chair so she can get to my head (she's so short). Anyways, she French-braids my hair (and I'm surprised it's long enough to do so).

"So… What time is the meeting, anyway?" Lauren asks.

"One in the afternoon," England responds, glancing up at a wall clock, which reads eleven-thirty.

"All right," I respond distractedly. _Canada, get up. It's half-past-eleven. _

…_Where can I buy a ceiling fan made out of maple leaves?..._

I burst out laughing again. Hastily, I explain to Lauren and England so I don't sound crazy, and Lauren laughs while England only smiles.

_Get up!_ I think to him again.

_Enh?_

_Up! Now! Meeting today, and all that!_

_Oh, maple!_ He thinks. He rolls out of bed, landing on his knees. _Ow!_ I feel a pressure on my knees where his hurt.

England's on his cell phone, tapping on the keys in a text message. He somehow got it from the clothes he was wearing when Lauren switched their bodies.

Anyway, after a few minutes, he goes, "All right. No—wait—"A few minutes later, he reports, "Okay. My boss ran it through the other countries' bosses, and you two are allowed to come."

"None of the other lookalikes, though?" I ask.

"That's right," England says. "Lauren, because you're in my body, and Issa, because you're, well—"

"The cause of all this," I finish.

"It's not your fault, though," he tells me.

"Yeah, I know."

Canada's pulling a pair of slacks over his maple leaf boxers. _Th—thanks for waking me up. I would've been late._

_No problem, brah, _I dismiss silently. _Although, it starts in, like, an hour. And a half. So, you'd've had an hour and a half to get ready. _

_I like to sleep, all right?!_

_Touchy…!_ I think.

_Oh, shut up…_

As it turns out, the hour and a half doesn't take very long at all. It seems like five minutes. I think it was because I was worrying so much about facing Germany and Japan and all the other nations (and in a dress, no less).

Tokyo really is beautiful. It turns out the conference is in the Tokyo Tower. France makes a face at it and insists the Eiffel Tower is better. England slaps the back of his head.

Inside, there's a mismatch of Japanese tourists and people in business clothes. I kind of hover around Canada, and I notice Lauren mimicking how England holds himself. But if she's doing this consciously, I'll never know unless I ask her.

Some of the people in business suits look over and wave at each other, or someone in our large group. I notice Germany and Japan, and I shuffle closer to Canada nervously. Germany glares at me, and I make myself glower back.

He's coming closer. I suddenly feel very trapped, like there's nowhere to run from him. Out of the corner of my eye, America sidles closer to Italy.

"Humans aren't allowed here," Germany says as his shocking blue eyes skim over me and England (In Lauren's body), his voice like ice.

"Special permission," Lauren interjects, doing well in impersonating England.

"Hm," he grunts, and he wanders off. I release the breath I was holding.

Everyone else looks relieved, too.

"Right, then," England sighs. "Conference room is that way..."

There are already a bunch of countries in the conference room. Something that rubs me the wrong way is the fact that some of them aren't wearing formal clothes, and I have to. A few people that stand out in my mind are, well, the official characters I haven't met, for one, and then a woman with tan skin, brown eyes, and wavy brown hair in a ponytail. She's talking to another woman with long dark hair and brown eyes.

Next to them, a woman with a long dark braid cascading over her black poncho playfully tickles the girl next to her, who has layered brown hair with her bangs swept to the right; a pink flower decorates her hair, and a few petals brush against her thick black glasses. The second woman cries out upon being tickled.

A woman with a black ponytail and a dark blue dress chats with who I think is Cuba. I'm glad Cuba doesn't immediately go into kill-America-and-anyone-in-my-way-mode. I notice, in the far corner of the room, a boy and a girl sit alone. They look alike. They're both wearing jeans and informal clothes. I notice their necklaces match: they're arrowhead rocks.

There's one girl over by the window talking loudly and happily to someone I don't recognize. She has brown hair held back by a headband and green eyes—I can't help but notice how similar the shade is to England's—and she's wearing a business suit.

A woman with long red pigtail braids approaches Lauren. She's wearing an oversized green shirt, a brown skirt, gray leggings, and fuzzy black boots. I can't help but notice how similar her eyes are to Germany's.

"Hello, Ireland," England sighs.

Ireland jumps. "What are you doing here?!" she asks in an obvious Irish accent. "You're not allowed here!"

"I'm _England_!" he exclaims. "There was a little mix-up when I was doing magic."

Ireland takes a few minutes to let that sink in, and then she laughs heartily. "You were always terrible at magic, Arthur."

He flushes. Lauren comes to his rescue. "It was my fault. I was using his things."

"And you're a human?" Ireland asks, looking impressed.

She nods.

"She's my citizen, after all," England throws in.

"So…," she trails off, pointing at me. "…Did'ja mix up her with America, or something?"

I shake my head as Canada reminds her, "I'm Canada."

"Uhm, no," England says. "The story behind her is rather…complicated. It'll be explained when the meeting starts."

"Right, then," Ireland says. I notice one of those "Hi! My name is _" nametags on her shirt. Looking around, all of the other countries have one. Apparently, Ireland's human name is Karen McGrath.

The rest of the nations file in one by one. Without warning, someone grabs my left arm from behind and lifts it up. I'm forced to whirl around, and Germany's staring at the inside of my arm. "Interesting," he muses. "It didn't even leave a scar."

I hold my breath to keep from crying out, and I uselessly try to tug my arm back.

"Leave her alone!" Canada growls. Canada's actually _growling_.

Germany ignores him, and he makes me come closer to him by grabbing my chin and the nape of my neck. "St—stop!" I whimper. He's running a gloved finger over where the cut on my cheek used to be.

Someone throws a shoe at Germany. "She said to stop," says the woman who was sitting in the corner with what seems like her brother. I suddenly decide to call them the Arrowhead twins until I find out what countries they are. Her black hair hangs around her face in spiky layers, stopping at her chin. Despite her chocolate-colored skin, she has blue eyes with little flecks of gold in them. She's wearing a black and white striped shirt that hangs off her shoulders over a dark purple tank top, and her black jeans are baggy. Her name tag reads "Hi! My name is _screw you, my name is __my__ name."_

I'm honestly surprised I can take note of so many things when I'm freaking out.

Either way, Germany releases his hands from the sides of my face and drops them to his sides as he looks placidly at the female Arrowhead. He's surveying her, judging her. I notice her brother hovering behind her, glaring daggers at him. It's almost like he's daring him to try to get anywhere near her. He's wearing a black T-shirt, a red plaid jacket tied around his waist, and ripped, baggy black jeans. His hair is disheveled, like Spain's, or England's.

Finally, Germany stalks away. "Th—thanks," I manage towards the Arrowhead sister. She nods at me, and I see her raise an eyebrow at me, as if she's questioning my presence.

_You're okay?_

_Uh-huh._

Japan gets up and faces the world. "Thank you for making the trip to my home," he says smoothly. "Please, let us get along for this time." And then he sits down.

Austria gets up and takes the limelight before anyone else can. "My fellow countries," he starts evenly as there's a murmuring of "That freeloader's starting us off?!" around the room, "I would like to draw your attention to what seems to us like a silent World War."

A room of nations blinks up at him, surprised. Perhaps they're thinking, "We'd have known if there was a WWIII, if it's anything like the other two."

"This started," Austria continues, "about three weeks ago, when the former Axis kidnapped five innocent humans."

The world turns to gawk at Germany, Japan, and Italy, and then there's a chorus of "You. Did. _What?!_" or things along those lines.

"Please, settle down!" Austria calls, drawing attention to himself.

But one country—the short woman with long dark hair and deep brown eyes, and I see her nametag reads Laura Rodriguez—jumps out of her chair and points accusingly at him. "I am not a drug trafficker, you jerk!"

"Columbia-" Austria facepalms. "—you're off topic again…."

"Right," Columbia mutters, glowering at the world while taking her seat.

But as she sits, the woman with the braid and poncho stands up. I see she has a yellow sun stitched on the front of her black parka. Her red skirt goes down to her ankles, and her brown boots stand firmly on the ground. Her bangs are held back with a gold cross-clip-thingy. Her nametag reads Ana Andes Amaru, and she doesn't seem any older than our Louisa. "How do we know you're telling the truth?!" she interrogates a bit sharply. Then, her voice gets slightly softer and sadder. "You wouldn't do that—right, Japan?"

Japan looks away.

Austria has moved over to where I sit, and he puts a hand on my shoulder. "If you would, please, Issa…."

I shakily rise and follow him to the front of the room. I feel my face flush as the legit _world_ stares back at me. The pressure rises inside, and my feeling of flight-or-fight-meter leans more towards flight, but I have to stay, so I settle with inching slowly behind the aristocrat.

"This human was the first one kidnapped," Austria declares. I bite my tongue to keep from responding. I guess that's right though, because, even though Josh and I were kidnapped together, they pulled me away from the class first, recognized me as a lookalike first.

Terrified but fighting down the panic, I reach up with one hand and fiddle with my necklace and remind myself to be brave.

_It's okay, Issa,_ Canada tells me. _It's not like they're going to mob you. _

_Yeah, I know….I just don't like people staring at me…._

"So—she _knows?!"_the woman with wavy brown hair in a ponytail exclaims.

I nod in answer, and there's an uproar from the world. People shout things at Austria and our little group. "Uh, excuse me. Excuse me," I say. "Excuse me!"

The world stops and stares at me.

"Japan's—fault—he—made—you—into—an—anime," I explain in one breath.

Japan gives me a slightly irritated look as the world turns on him.

Even though he's the bad guy, I do feel a little guilty for throwing him under the bus like that. "I—I never really expected it to be real. It was my favorite anime, but I thought it was fictional until about three weeks ago…. He did a good job at making it seem fake, s—so I don't think many people will question it…," I stutter a bit quietly, clasping my leaf tightly and pushing my glasses farther up my nose with the other hand.

Lauren gives me a thumbs-up, and I continue, a bit more bravely. "I mean…look at it from a human's point of view….Living personifications of every one of the countries, who are as old as their countries?... You might not question it, but it's a little bit unrealistic for a human….And, haven't you ever wondered why Japanese is the mutual language?"

Austria nods, approving my words. "You may sit down now," he tells me. I try not to run back to my seat. "Your motives to kidnapping the other four," he continues, mostly at Germany and Japan, "were unclear up until about a week ago." He looks back up at the rest of the room. "You see, all of us have a certain lookalike. A _human_ lookalike. We may not share genders—as exampled by Issa over there and Canadia—"Canada and I share an amused glance as Austria pronounces his name wrong, "but they look nearly exactly like us. Their personalities, however, may be different. Now, if the human lookalike is too near the presence of a nation for too long, they begin a transformation."

The Arrowhead twins suddenly sit up straighter, their ears perked up.

"First, they gain the nation in question's hair curl, if any. Next, any wounds the lookalike should have are to be healed. The third phase is seeing the nation's memories. Phase Four is communication via telepathy. Phase Five happens to the nations, apparently—the more memories the lookalike sees, the more transparent the nation becomes. The sixth and final phase—the lookalike becomes the representative for the country in question and the former representative fades away to nothing," he explains. "All the lookalikes in our protective custody seem to be only on Phase Four—telepathy."

"Well, then, just send them away!" one country yells. I don't know who he is. "Away from a country's presence!"

"That won't work," the female Arrowhead twin mutters.

"…Nigeria?" Austria asks, wanting her to continue.

The now-named Nigeria looks back at the Arrowhead boy, almost helplessly. But he goes, "It's not like it's a secret," and Nigeria nods.

"I was a lookalike," she says. A few of the other North African countries (I'm assuming their identities) nod, seemingly out of remembrance. "When Niger found out, he tried to send me away. But you can obviously see how well _that_ freaking worked."

"So you just split off of Niger to make your own country?" an unnamed country pipes up.

"It's not like I had a ***beeping*** choice!" Nigeria exclaims heatedly, crossing her arms. "So—"she looks straight at Canada, "—unless you feel like sharing your country…."

"W—well," Canada starts, and I feel his excitement at having everyone pay attention to him for once, "isn't making room for—say, East Canada, "I shoot him an amused look, "—better than disappearing?"

"You can always kill them," Germany throws in.

"You're not in this conversation, buster," America says sternly, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"Killing them is out of the question," Austria throws in firmly.

There's an uproar of voices. Half agree with Austria, and then the other half wants us lookalikes dead. I shoot an unease glance at Lauren, and she gives me a reassuring look, although, she must be pretty freaked out. Her life is on the line, as well.

The half that agrees starts fighting with the other half, and there are even little fistfights around. Then Columbia stands up again and yells louder than everyone else, "_I AM NOT A DRUG TRAFFICKER, YOU JERKS!_"

The entire world is silent, and Columbia takes her seat again with a muttered, "Thank you for your consideration."

"…Well, then…," Austria mumbles. He clears his throat, and then, "There is also another thing you all should know about…."

I feel suddenly a pang of panic as I realize he's going to tell everyone about my blood. _What if they all go psycho like Germany?!_ I hysterically ask Canada, fighting to keep my face straight.

_We'll protest you,_ he responds comfortingly, patting my hand gently.

_What if they all agree to kill me...?_

_I won't let that happen._

_Thank you,_ I tell him as a mixture of gratitude and relief mix in with the unmoving terror.

"We have reason to believe that Issa's blood can make the bomb. You all know about it, right?" Austria asks.

Apparently, they do. There's a chorus of gasps and protests, and a whisper of, "Kill her, now!" goes across the room.

"'Reason to believe'?" one country echoes louder than the rest. It's the woman with brown hair and England-shaded eyes. I also feel her confusion. We _know_ my blood explodes. …Right?

"Well, there was an…incident about a week ago. If we had not acted, Issa would be dead now," he explains. I keep my eyes planted firmly on my shoes as I feel the piercing gaze of the world. "Believing her blood held no power if she were no longer living, she tried to kill herself by cutting open her artery."

Again, the cacophony of voices starts. Some of them are asking why I would do such a thing, others call me a suicidal freak, and others still say they're sorry the attempt failed.

Trying to speak over the noise, Austria continues, "The move caused her to lose most of her blood. We found a blood type that her body responded positively to, but I am sure it watered down her natural type."

For a few seconds, there is silence. Then a country I don't recognize calls from down the table, "You're pathetic." Then the voices start again.

I feel my head lower instinctively at the comment. I wish my hair isn't braided so I can hide behind it.

Then, I'm indignant and ashamed at myself for wanting to run away. I've put up with this for too long at school, and I'm not going to put up with it any longer.

I slowly stand up, facing the mass. Gradually, the babble slows down until it's silent, and then I talk. "That wasn't the whole story," I say, my voice surprisingly even. "What I did was more of a spur-of-the-moment type of thing. Germany was there, and he had just shot one of the lookalikes in the stomach." I send a dirty look at the nation, "I wasn't thinking straight, so I grabbed an icicle and held it over my arm. I was just scared, all right?!" I glare around the room. "Scared that he would die, scared that Germany'd win, scared that he might kill all those people. So I just did it.

"You might call that cowardice. But, honestly, I think it was my finest moment. I don't want to die. But that moment revealed that I would sacrifice myself without thinking to save the word. So, please, enlighten me—" I glance around the room again, "how is trying to save all of your lives pathetic?"

Silence rings around the room, so I lower myself back down in my chair. Canada seems stunned that I just addressed the world, and Lauren grabs my hand comfortingly. I smile at her.

"So—" Austria says, calling attention back to himself, "let's have a vote, then. If you want to kill them, please raise your hands."

I hold my breath as Austria counts the hands. I notice both Japan and Germany hold up their hands. Along with a whole bunch of people.

"If you want to keep them alive, please raise your hands now."

The whole bunch of people that raise their hands now seems awfully small compared to the amount of people that just did….

_Don't think like that. Wait until Austria counts them all…._

I don't answer directly to him.

Austria seems stunned, and I of course think the worst case scenario when he says, "…It's an exact tie."

The roar of voices starts again. Countries are arguing with other countries; even their pets, if they brought them, are fighting with each other. I think the world's going to tear itself apart when a small figure clad in white and blue climbs on the table.

"I didn't get to vote!" Sealand cries over the cacophony, raising his hands over his head in a "Stop everything" kind of gesture.

The nations the heard him burst into laughter, and the micronation's shoulders curve forward. Then he swells up indignantly, and I see angry tears in his eyes. "I am too a nation! Pay attention to me, dang it!" He stomps his little foot on the table a few times, trying to call attention to himself. "I vote yes! Keep them alive!"

Finland and Sweden approach him from directly across the table from me. "Peter, sweetheart, please…." Finland says comfortingly, holding his arms out halfway reaching for him.

"No!" Sealand cries. "My opinion counts, too!" He furiously rubs his forearm against his eyes, drying them of the frustrated tears that were beginning to fall. "I've had it with you jerks! I—am—a—official—country! Treat me as such!"

I feel such pity for little Sealand. He's trying so hard to be recognized by his fellow nations, and they just keep brushing him off like he's nothing.

Lauren, apparently, does too. Irately, she rockets up and puts England's hands on his hips. "That's not very nice!" she exclaims heatedly. "It's not his fault he's a fort! He has his own government, people, land, and everything! He's a country! He deserves the respect you give each other!"

"I don't need your help, jerk!" Sealand exclaims in her direction.

"I'm England," England protests. "There was a mishap with my magic, and we switched bodies. Her name is Lauren."

Sealand flushes red. "Sorry, then…," he mumbles embarrassedly in her direction. "…And thank you…."

"So do we count Sealand's vote?" someone asks.

I hear a chorus of yes's and of no's. The yes's are louder.

"That settles that," Austria declares.

The world protests and cheers at the same time. Either way, all of the countries are talking loudly. All of the countries who mooch of Austria nowadays sigh in relief, as do I.

Suddenly, Germany's behind me. He turns my chair around and points a thick finger accusingly at me. "This isn't over," he warns. "I will find whoever's blood triggers the bomb, and I will succeed."

"Wait, you mean you don't already know?!" I ask. "I thought—"

"How would I know?!" he snarls at me.

"You put a microphone on Rin when you threw her through that window-mirror-thing, didn't you?!"

"Why would I do that?!"

"You tell me!"

He gives me a long, hard look. Something's off about him…. I feel Canada tense up, ready to spring. But Germany backs off.

I realize what's wrong. "Hey, wait," I say, hesitantly poking his arm. When he looks back at me, my unease is doubled, even tripled. "Why are your eyes _gold_?!"

He doesn't answer me. He doesn't even hang around for more than a few seconds after that. He walks a few steps away and then teleports to somewhere.

…_That's even scarier than when his eyes were blue!..._

Canada doesn't answer; he's scared stiff.

After a few minutes of arguing, the world settles down. The girl with the braid who addressed Japan stands up, a few pieces of paper clutched in her hands. She seems shaken by the events, but determined to do her part in the meeting. I notice she sends a few countries (Spain, Japan, Spain) a dirty look. "My topic is about global warming, since Peru is one of the countries most affected by it…."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

By the time the meeting's over, I learn a lot about some other countries. Peru is the girl with the braid. She still hasn't gotten over Spain's attack on her in the conquistador days. If he gets too close, she said, she'll sic her pet condor on him. I didn't notice this before (and I have no idea _how_), but she has a snake wrapped around her arm. Not any snake, a _condor_. I'm not afraid of snakes, but I was amazed at this animal's size.

The girl with the flower in her hair is Argentina. Her human name is Rosalina Vinesh. She came to talk to me after the meeting, and she was almost crying because of my little suicide attempt. She made me promise I wouldn't do it again, and I did. She seems really nice.

Columbia, our little subject-changer, seems like a nice girl, too. She's friendly, but I do notice some signs of violence. Since Germany left, she's been sending her angry glares at Japan instead. We explained that none of this is Italy's fault, so he's kind of off the hook.

The girl with the wavy brown hair pulled back in a ponytail is the Philippines, or Maria Clara de la Cruz. I can't find another word to describe her but _cute_. She just lets off an air of pure adorableness. But I let that fool me—she's actually slightly tsundere, and very opinionated. She told me she knows from experience that Japan doesn't want to hurt his friends, and that Germany's nothing but a big marshmallow.

Ireland also stalked us for a little bit; long enough for me to pick up on her personality. She's around my height and skinny, but she's outspoken, cheerful, and carefree—overall, a pleasant person to be around. But I've noticed—mainly when England offered her a carrot—that she has a nasty temper. She basically tried to bite his head off. I'm guessing she doesn't like carrots all that much. Anyway, she seems to hate Spain (_Another_ Spain hater?), and I noticed she pretends to hate England; I sense a sibling love/hate relationship with them, not unlike the one Italy and Romano share.

Another country in the United Kingdom, Wales, also approached us. She's the one with eyes like England's and brown hair held back by a headband. She seems really chatty and outgoing, and she also seems to hate on Iggy for no apparent reason. She tried to tell me a ghost story, and I tried to listen, but, honestly, I think I'm going to have nightmares tonight.

Another one of my new country friends came when her ginormous dog bowled me over and nearly licked my face off—the Dominican Republic, or Ana Abreu. She apologized profusely in a clear voice, and then her voice lowered to a mumble. After we talked for a few minutes, I realized she's very headstrong and stubborn.

I actually tried talking to the Arrowhead twins, Niger and Nigeria, but they didn't have much to say. Niger was a bit cross at me because I was louder than the music he was listening to. Nigeria apologized, wished me and the other lookalikes luck, and then they left.

So, as you can tell, we hung around after the meeting for a while.

I noticed Japan as we left; he and Peru were arguing. Apparently, she and he had a very good relationship as friends, and she was hurt that he sided with Germany, and then didn't tell her.

As we passed them, I saw something that sent shivers up my spine: Japan's eyes.

They're gold, too.

Unlike Germany's, however, only his irises are gold; Germany's are completely gold, like Yami's, but a different color.

But either way, it's creepy, and I can't help but feel that something's happening that we don't know about….

Something really important….

…

…

Nah. I bet he was just cosplaying and forgot to take out his contacts.

**Hahah. Lol. GUESS AGAIN, ISSA. **

**Anyhow, THIS IS LATE AND I'M SORREH. :U **

**So anyways, how did you guys like it? Is it worth the wait?o3o **

**QUESTION ONE—Who is your favorite OC? (if you submitted one, please don't vote for your own o3o) **

**QUESTION TWO—have you ever done something to someone while they were sleeping?**

**RANDOM QUESTION—HAVE YOU SEEN SOUL EATER BECAUSE OH MY GOSH I'M GOING THROUGH A PHASE I LOVE SOUL AND STEIN AND BLACK STAR AND KID AND CRONA I LOVE CRONA EVEN THOUGH I THINK HE'S EVIL HE'S JUST SO KAWAII I CAN'T STAND IT**

**QUESTION FOUR****—****would you have stood up for Sealand?**

**QUESTION FIVE—What's the weirdest thing you've said while half-asleep? **

**Okay. Those are the questions. Deal with them o3o **

**Okay, so, I'm falling in love with, like every character I write about. Like, I just connect with them like they're real people anD I'm STARTING TO THINK I'M CRAZY :D 'Cause, like, I dunno, It's hard to explain. But I just emphasize with them, feel sorry for them when they're hurting EVEN WHEN ITS USUALLY ME WHO'S HURTING THEM :D **

**So, I originally made Issa to be like me, because I thought it would be easier to write if I thought what was happening to issa was happening to me. I would sit there and pretend like I was being kidnapped, picture in my head and actually give myself an adrenaline rush. But now, I just feel so different from Issa. She's nothing like me. I'm sure I would cry a lot more, sit in a room in the fetal position for days, and refuse to come out o3o**

**Okayokayokay I stop nao o3o **

**I'm really sorry if I didn't make your characters the way you thought about them. I think I did better when there was more information with them, like, I kinda like how I brought out Peru and the Arrowhead twins…. I kinda neglected Dominican Republic, Wales, Argentina, and Philippines… *hangs head* Sowwy…. ;n; **


	19. Get Out

**HAI GUIES I'm not sure if this is late or not so lets just say its not so I don't get massacred. ^_^;**

**Okay, so I messed up the thingy-thing by deleting the "OC Submission" chapter with the one you see now, so it wouldn't let you review again and I didn't realize it would do that, so I'm sorry. But thanks to those who PM'd me or reviewed anonymously! (I dun remember exactly who! T_T gomenesai!)**

**Ooh ooh ja, CelticGirl7 is making a one-shot in her OC, Peru's, point of view, so it should be done soon and stuffs if you wanna check it out. :3**

**Also I'm not that cray cray England and Lauren have had each other's bodies for three days. It seems a lot longer than that, but I counted so there. =w=**

**OH JA I isht being organ-ized. I PLANNED for once! :U :D But it's a short term plan, so, ja….DOESN'T MATTER, I PLANNED**

**Anyhoo, here's another chapter o3o **

Issa's POV

We're walking out of the Tokyo Tower lobby right when the door opens in front of us and a breathless Nigeria speedwalks back in, Niger on her tail. "I—I forgot about something important."

"What is it?" America asks eagerly.

"Before I turned into my own country, we tried to get help before Niger would disappear. An old witch told us a freaking hard riddle, or something," she explains.

"Well, what does it freaking say?!" Romano snaps.

Nigeria sends him a pointed glare, and replies, "It was something like this—'_This cannot be changed: you must save one but lose the other. But are you willing to save both lives to lose one as close as a brother?'_ or some cray-cray ***Beep*** like that. _"_

Our group is silent as the words are processed. "Well, thank you for your help," Austria contributes.

"Yeah, whatever," Nigeria dismisses. She looks at me. "Good luck. Try not to die."

I nod. "Thanks. I'll try."

She nods again, and so does Niger behind her, and they both exit again.

I look at Matthew. "Save one but lose the other."

"But it also said we could save both lives…."

"Only if we lose someone close."

"…Oh…."

"…That makes about as much sense as Switzerland doing the 'Yo ho ho, tra la la' dance with Japan."

That comment earns me a lot of stares. Then Switzerland goes, "I do _what_ with Japan?!"

"It's in Hetalia!" Lauren answers for me. She's trying hard not to laugh.

I glance behind and notice Japan. Apparently, he heard our conversation, and he's avoiding eye contact and blushing like mad. Because I hate him right now, I smirk as I remember the figment of his imagination.

Sealand leaves his place from besides Finland and Sweden and tugs on Lauren's sleeve. When she looks down at him, he hugs her around her waist. "Thank you…." he mumbles.

She hugs him back. "You're welcome~!"

I can't help but notice how uncomfortable he looks. It's like he's really grateful for Lauren standing up for him, but she's still in England's body, and he still hates England. The poor boy looks so conflicted.

"I can fix your problem, you know," offers a voice from behind. Closer examination proves it to be Norway.

I of course have to suppress a fangirl spasm. Matthew gives me the "You're a weirdo" look. I cross my eyes at him.

"I can do it," England insists.

Norway raises an eyebrow. "It's been how long since this accident happened?"

England pouts. "…About three days. "

"Come on, Arthur, don't you want your body back?" Lauren asks. She must really miss her own.

"Ugh, _yes_, but I can do it…!"

We all give him the "You're crazy" look for a few minutes, and he crack reluctantly. "_Fine._"

Norway nods. "I'll go to my place and get my things. Meet at Austria's?" When he gets approval, he poofs away. England still doesn't look very happy.

"Let's go," Russia suggests.

"Uh, hold on," I say as I spot another of my favorite characters. Subtly, I move towards him. "I just—I have to—"I reach him, "—hug Iceland, okay, let's go. " Iceland jumps violently as I hug him, and Mr. Puffin flew off his head. "Sorry!" I call over my shoulder as I dash back to Matthew.

I grab his arm, and he says to Iceland, "This is pretty normal for her…." Lithuania, Russia, and England all nod their heads.

Anyway, we poof back. None of the other lookalikes have to ask what happened because they could see it all. Except for Louisa. Prussia came, regardless of the fact that he's not a nation anymore (Germania and Rome also stalked us there), and he explained it to her.

I go off to the hospital room to check on Alex. When I walk in, I think it's empty at first. Then I see Rin standing in the doorway of the bathroom. She's patting Alex's back as he throws up in the toilet. After a few seconds, his shaky voice says something in Italian, and I'm pretty sure it's a cuss word.

"Do you think that's it?" Rin asks, concerned.

"Yeah…," Alex responds, his voice trembling. With Rin's support, he comes back in here and lies down on a cot. "Hi," he says halfheartedly at me.

"You okay?" I ask. I know it's a stupid question; he was just vomiting his guts out.

"Nngh. My head hurts," is his only response.

Rin smiles at me. "Welcome back."

"Thanks," I reply, smiling back.

Rin's POV **This was a while ago and also sorry for the awkward ending of the POVs =^=**

I run my fingers through Alex's auburn hair with one hand, smoothing it back. He's still asleep; he needs it, too. I am careful to not touch the two little swirls of hair that protrude from his bangs and the back of his hair. His hair is such a pretty color….

In the back of my mind, I can see the whole world conference from Japan's point of view. He's seated next to Germany and a country Japan recognizes as Denmark. This Denmark is very obnoxious, and he likes to hang on his apparent friend, Norway. Norway doesn't seem too enthusiastic about the friendship. At least, I didn't think it bothered him until he took Denmark's tie and choked him with it.

Across the table I see the nations that have been staying here. Issa sits between England—Lauren—and that one country who looks like her. All of them have an air of tenseness, and the other nations seem afraid to approach them. I don't really blame them; Miss Hungary looks like she's ready to pummel anyone who gets close to her with her frying pan.

_Yes, I'm afraid she does that…._

_For the __thousandth__time: leave—me—alone. _

_Hnn._ Japan stops thinking to me. He stands up, and, gradually, the room full of nations stops babbling in various languages.

"Thank you for making the trip to my home. Please, let us get along for this time," he says politely.

I know all that's a load of crap. I see what it's like in his head. He's horrible, and I hate him.

"Hey," someone says suddenly, jerking me out of my absentminded-stroking of Alex's hair and listening in on the World Meeting.

"What?!" I yelp, startled.

"Easy, Jumpy, it's just me!" a girl's voice exclaims. It's the new girl, Louisa. She's kneeling in front of where I sit, and where Alex sleeps, looking at me in concern.

"O—oh. Hi," I respond, pulling my hand away from my friend.

"You okay?" she asks. "You were gritting your teeth."

"Hnn. Yeah, I'm okay," I respond, ducking my head a little.

"Hmm." Louisa sits down cross-legged, looking up at me. "Is your friend okay?"

"Last I checked," I say, giving a glance back at Alex. He's still breathing—that's a good sign.

"So, you can see what ol' Japan sees, right?"

I nod, and involuntarily make a face.

The albino smiles. "Don't like him?"

"He's despicable," I reply simply.

In the back of my mind, I can still see the conference room. Austria is explaining to the world about this. I tune back in right as a girl Japan recognizes as Peru—rather fondly, I notice. They must be friends—stands up and demands proof with a "How do we know you're telling the truth?! You wouldn't do that—right, Japan…?"

As Japan shifts his gaze away, he feels a pang of—…is that…_guilt_?!

"…What's going on?" Louisa asks.

I wipe my face of the shock that had passed across it. "Not much. It's just—he—he feels—ashamed. He shouldn't. It's his fault."

Then something happens. It's like a little shiver passes through my mind, and for a split second, I hear the slightest whisper of a voice whimper from the darkest corner of my mind. _No it's not. Believe me. Please._

_And why should I?_

_What are you even talking about?_

…_Nothing. Nothing at all._

Louisa studies the emotions I allow on my face, but if I don't know what just happened, how could she? She cracks and asks, "Now?"

"I—I don't know." I allow my senses to wander back to the conference room.

Issa points a finger at Japan and says quickly without pausing for breath, "Japan's—fault—he—made—you—into—a—anime."

Japan narrows his eyes at her as a few nations nearby yell at him.

She continues, ""I—I never really expected it to be real. It was my favorite anime, but I thought it was fictional until about three weeks ago…. He did a good job at making it seem fake, s—so I don't think many people will question it…." After a bit of hesitation, she adds, "I mean…look at it from a human's point of view….Living personifications of every one of the countries, who are as old as their countries?... You might not question it, but it's a little bit unrealistic for a human….And, haven't you ever wondered why Japanese is the mutual language?"

I nod approvingly at her argument. "Issa just explained how she knew about the nations."

Louisa nods slowly. "Issa's the girl with the purple eyes and blonde hair, right? With the curly hair thing like this?" She draws a vague looping shape going away from her head in an imitation of the girl's and Can—Cana – Co—that one nation's mutual curl.

"Yeah," I say.

The room erupts in voices again. Alex's eyes shoot open, and he yells, "_Shut up, you stupid countries, I'm trying to sleep!"_ Then, he mutters, "Hi there," at Louisa and I, and then he flips over and falls asleep again.

Louisa giggles, holding one hand over her mouth. I smile at his sleeping form, and I stroke his hair again.

"So…," she says. "You—and he—you guys can sense them too?"

I nod, even though I've already answered this.

"And—Mr. What's-his-face—"

I nod again, solemnly this time.

She mimics my nod, looking down and letting her white hair fall over her eyes. I can't help but notice how she rubs her hand over her forearm.

I attempt a smile at the elder girl. "He can't hurt us here."

She looks up at me through her bangs and smiles gratefully. "Yeah. He can't."

Suddenly, I feel anxiety from Japan. "Hold on—"I say at Louisa as I tune out myself and listen intently to his conversation. They're voting. On whether or not to let us lookalikes live.

_Kill them, kill them, kill them…._

If I could hit Japan right now, I wouldn't hesitate to do it with a baseball bat.

_That's not nice._

_Neither are you._

_Hnn._

I sit tensely, until Austria announces, "It's an exact tie." The cacophony of voices starts again at its loudest. Alex drowsily puts his hands over his ears.

A small boy, whom Japan recognizes to be Sealand, hops on the table and raises his hands, motioning for people to stop. "I didn't get to vote!" he cries. Japan snorts, and many countries start laughing at him. Sealand slumps forward, embarrassed and sad, and then he straightens. "I am too a nation!" he yells. "Pay attention to me, dang it! I vote yes! Keep them alive!"

A few chairs away from Denmark and Norway, Finland stands up, along with Sweden. "Peter, sweetheart, please…," Finland says comfortingly.

"No! My opinion counts too!" he shouts, drying the tears he was starting to shed with his forearm. "I—am—a—official—country! Treat me as such!"

England—Lauren—stands up and defends the micronation. Apparently, there's some confusion with who's who.

I sit tensely, my eyes closed. Then—"So do we count Sealand's vote?"

There's a chorus of yes's and no's, but the yes's win. I sigh in relief. Opening my eyes, I explain to Louisa, "They just voted on whether or not to kill us lookalikes. We're okay; we won by one vote."

Louisa nods and smiles softly. "That's good."

"I bet you could have gotten away if they did," I say. "You haven't started the transformation yet."

"It sounds painful and awesome at the same time," she says thoughtfully.

"No, it's not," I tell her. "You get no privacy whatsoever."

"Oh."

Alex opens his eyes again and looks at me. "Hi," he croaks.

"Hi there," I say. "How are you feeling?"

"Enh."

Japan is suddenly paying attention, and his guilt is back. Peru is standing in the front of the room, and I tune in long enough to catch her death-glare. "My topic is about global warming, since Peru is one of the countries most affected by it…."

I tune that out, bringing myself back to where I am. Alex is only dozing, not quite asleep, but not quite awake. Louisa waits patiently for me to pay attention again, still sitting on the floor. But after a few more minutes, it's clear our conversation has died. "Well," Louisa says, "I'm going to go and make sure the other people aren't dead. Bye."

"Bye, then," I say to her retreating back.

For about an hour or two, I sit and stroke Alex's hair. He's still half-drugged, slurring incomprehensible things whenever I try to talk to him.

The meeting's over now. I don't know how long it was, but it's done.

Peru approaches Japan, and she seems very angry. "Hey, Japan," she says while walking over.

He turns to her, startled. "Ah! P-Peru-san?"

"The one and only," she says, her voice neutral. I can see the fire in her eyes, and evidentially, so does he. Japan doesn't respond.

"… What on earth happened to you?" Peru whispers.

Japan gives a weak laugh, looking down, then back up. "I am… not sure."

Peru clenches her fists. She looks like she wants to cry, or slap him, or anything. I can see the betrayal she feels. She obviously wants answers, and she looks stubborn enough to get them.

"… Have you met your lookalike already?" she asks instead, her voice soft and shaky.

_Yes._

Japan doesn't answer her, but he's calling me foul names. He looks away from his friend.

"You have?" Peru asks. "You already met him? Or her?"

"…Yes," he finally admits.

"… You haven't… done anything harmful… to your lookalike?"

_Yes._

_Quiet._

_Make me._

Japan instead turns toward Peru with inhuman speed. "E—excuse me?!" he blurts. "Peru-san, that is unexpected of you to ask."

"It also is unexpected that you kidnapped innocent children for your own personal goals!" Peru snaps. "I _never_ would have guessed you would stoop that low! Because that isn't _you_!" By that time, she marches into his personal space and jabs a finger at him. "You said so yourself a few years ago! You already put your imperial days behind you! So what convinced you to all of a sudden think that you didn't have a heart?!"

Japan fills with anger, and I suddenly fear for Peru's safety. He grabs the hand she was poking him with and shoves it away from him. "Don't. Touch. Me," he growls in a voice that's not his own.

Peru gasps and backs away at the same time I feel another little change in Japan. Her giant bird on her shoulder pecks at his hand. "Who…_are_ you?!" she whispers, horrified.

Japan, for some reason, chuckles, and he lets his hand drop. "I am what I should have stayed as during the years of feudalism and World War II," he says. "The stronger, more powerful, Kuro."

_Wha—?_

_Nothing like a little white lie to get those so-called "friends" off your back._

My fury with him grows. _You're horrible._

Peru looks petrified, barely able to hold back her tears. "…J—Japan…?" she breathes, reaching out with a trembling hand as if she wants to cup his face.

"The Kiku Honda you once knew is no longer present," Japan says, giving his head an offensive tilt. "I am Kuro, the _real_ Japan."

Peru withdraws her hand and curls it into another fist. "_You," _she snarls. "_You're_ the reason Japan decided to kidnap Issa and all those lookalikes?!"

"That is not for you to know," Japan answers curtly. "You have no business asking those questions."

"I have _every_ right to ask them!" she yells. Others in the lobby of the Tokyo Tower stop and stare. "Lookalikes are captured, there was a scandal you planned with Germany, and you must secretly want to use Issa's blood to make the bomb!" she accuses while pointing at him. "And don't you deny it, _bruto_!" I'm not sure what she said, but it's definitely not a compliment.

"And what if your assumptions are correct? What can you do?" Japan asks. There's another shiver through his mind, and I swear, something whispers, _No. Don't say it._ "You are not a superpower. You're insignificant."

Peru slaps him across the face. I'm glad; he deserves it. But it also hurts my face.

"Insignificant!?" she bellows. "I have thousands of citizens that I have looked after ever since I earned my independence from Spain! I may not be as strong as America, economic or military wise, but that doesn't mean that I am easily ignored!" Her bird spreads its large wings, shadowing Peru menacingly. I am afraid, but then I remember she can't hurt me from here. "Or have you forgotten the time my Armed Forces saved Japan's embassy from those terrorists?" she adds, snarling. "As for what I will do, I go find my lookalike myself."

"You wish to be erased from existence?"

"Of course not, _idiota_," she spits. "Unlike you, I think of him, or her, as my responsibility. I'm made up of three regions. I think I can afford letting one of them be represented, unlike what Germany and possibly you might recommend." Peru steps back, her bird folding its giant wings. "And I know for a fact that tyrants like you don't last long," she hisses. "I've seen their work first hand, and they always pay the price for it. Someday soon you'll fall, and Kiku Honda will finally be rid of you." Her eyes soften, and she looks close to tears again. "And I'll be praying for that."

Then she walks away after throwing Japan a sad look.

I grit my teeth. _How could you? She's your friend!_

_Not anymore._

"Ow," Alex protests, his hands on mine. "You're hurting me."

I look down and realize I just grabbed a handful of his hair, pulling on it. "O—oh. S—sorry. I'm s—sorry."

"S'okay. What's wrong?"

"N—nothing. It's nothing."

Alex doesn't pry any further than that. "I—I don't feel good…," he mutters, clenching his eyes shut. He's turning a shade of pale green.

"O—oh. Come here…." I bet he's about to throw up. That's what happens when you're hung-over, right?

I help him wobble to the bathroom. He leans over the toilet for a few seconds before vomiting. I awkwardly pat his back as he retches.

He murmurs a choice phrase in Italian, sitting back on his behind and wiping his mouth.

"Do you think that's it?" I ask, concerned.

"Yeah…." I help him back into the room, and he mumbles, "Hi," at Issa, who is hovering by the door.

"You okay?" she asks.

"Nngh. My head hurts," he says, pulling the blanket over his head to block out the light.

I smiles at my friend. "Welcome back."

"Thanks," she says, smiling back. When no other attempt at conversation happens, she bids us farewell and leaves. I let her; she just talked to the _world_, and with her shy and awkward personality, that's a feat.

Alex peeks at me from under the covers. "Hi."

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," I tease lightly.

He sticks his tongue out at me and ducks under the blanket. "You look like Saia," he tells me.

This comment throws me off-guard. "Who's—…. Who's Saia?" I ask. It's the name I used with Japan. But how did he know that?

"You don't remember Saia?" he asks, dumbfounded. He sits up, letting the sheet fall down.

"It's familiar….Should I?"

"Uh, _yeah_!" he says, rubbing his temple.

"Who is she?"

"How much _do _you remember?" he asks. "From before we were kidnapped?"

I hesitate for a few seconds. "…Nothing at all."

Alex frowns. "_Nothing,"_ he repeats. "Your whole life, just…_gone_."

I clean my face of expression and give a noncommittal shrug. "I guess so."

"Why didn't you tell me? Or—"He stops and looks down. Saying Sydney's name is hard. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't realize I didn't remember until a few days ago," I tell him.

"Saia is your _sister_!" he tells me, as if this is the most obvious thing in the world. "You don't remember her?"

"I didn't even remember I _had_ a sister!" I exclaim.

"Why not?"

"I don't know!"

"Y—you don't remember your mom or dad, or Francesca, or little Danny?"

"We've been through this," I remind him patiently.

"Francesca—Cesca, we'd call her—is my older sister, and Danny is—"He stops again, the name of our missing friend screamed blatantly in his silence. Finally, he mans up and finishes, "—He's Sydney's baby brother…." He remains silent for a few seconds before clearing his throat. "It's been so long. Danny won't be a baby anymore. What grade would we have been in—?"

"Ninth, I think…," I say. I'm fifteen now, so that seems about right….Maybe even tenth grade….

"Yeah, that's what I thought…," Alex says. "Danny'd be…" he counts on his fingers, "three or four by now. Cesca'd be twenty-one now. I think Saia'd be seventeen…."

"Wh—"My throat seems to have closed up. I cough to get it working and try again. "What does Saia look like?"

"Exactly like you," he informs, his voice gentle. "Well, I guess you look like her…." He smiles. "I'd show you her picture, but I don't have one…."

"Wh—what about my parents…?" I ask hesitantly. "Th—they didn't—?"

"Give you up?" Alex guesses after it's clear I can't talk. He shakes his head. "I don't know. I dunno what they were thinking….For all I know, my parents could've given me up, or S—Syd's gave her up…." He takes my hand. "Listen to me—even if they did give you up, it's not your fault. How could you have known?"

"I know," I respond, nodding. "I know."

_Why don't you just ask me? _ Japan asks slyly. _ I know exactly what happened._

_I don't want your help._

_It wasn't your fault,_ he tells me. _They were actually killed. What happened to Prussia-san's lookalike happened to your family. They're all dead._

Dread creeps like an icicle into my stomach. _No, they're not. They're not dead._

_Why would you care, anyway? You hate them._

_I—I—…._

_You can't even sort your feelings out. You want to hate them for letting you go, but if they're really dead, you pity them. _

_No. No that's not it—_

_Then, Rin-Rin, what is it?_

…_I—…._

"Rin, are you okay?" Alex asks.

_Well…?_

_Get out of my head,_ I command. I shakily bring my hands to the sides of my head and stare at nothing in particular. _Get. Out. Of. My. Head. _

He doesn't take the hint. _When I saw they were dead, I pitied them; they worked closely with me, especially your mother. _

_They're—not—dead! _ I scream at him. I can't explain it, but they're not. I can feel it.

_Did you know you had a little sister? I'm afraid she was killed as well…._

_Shut up. Shut UP!_

"Rin, what's wrong? Rin-Rin?"

_The "Cesca" and "Danny" your friend talks about—they were not spared. _

_I'm warning you—_

_Saia died in the hospital. They tried to save her, but it was too late. _

_GET OUT OF MY HEAD! GET OUT!_

"…Rin…?"

This continues for too long—his provocation and my screams.

"Rin, please! Rin!? Rin!" Alex shakes my shoulders. "Rin, snap out of it! Rin, please! Rin!"

"What's wrong with her?!"

_GET OUT! LEAVE ME ALONE! GET OUT!I HATE YOU!_

"—Rin, I need you to look at me—"

Then Japan says the thing he must know would hurt me the most. _Your parents died in each other's arms. _

I don't know why this hurts so much—maybe because they love each other so much but thought so little of me—or maybe because they died because of me, the people who took me murdered them— "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

Then I'm screaming, because it hurts. I don't know why, it just happens—my ankles, my head, my hands, my chest—they burn. I shake my head to get it to work, and all I can see is red—is that blood? It's mine, it has to be mine—Alex is fine, there's no way it can be his—

I collapse. Someone catches me before I can hit my head on the ground.

I'm still screaming—"I _HATE_ YOU! I _HATE _YOU! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! _LEAVE—ME—ALONE!_"

Someone pins my arms to my sides as I struggle. Help me, please—it hurts, it's hurting, please help me—there's blood, blood everywhere—I'm surprised I'm not dead—

I'm lying down. Someone is holding me down with strong hands. There's more pain—sharpness. Someone is stabbing me with something really small. I'm crying—why? I don't remember anything. Why am I struggling, why does it hurt this much? What happened to me? Who's saying my name? Someone, anyone, please help me….

Something is held over my mouth. A mask of some sort. "That's right—just breathe—it's okay, you'll be okay—"

My consciousness is fading. It hurts. It hurts all over. Someone, anyone, kill me, let me die so the pain will stop—

I fade out.

**DUNDUNDUNNNNN**

**Wow. Okay, so, when I got home from school I barely had Rin's part started. Then I sat down and had so much inspiration and motivation ad my fingers were flying, and then this happened. In a day or three. I'm surprised. O3o**

**QUESTION ONE—What happened to Rin?**

**QUESTION TWO—What's the voice that Rin keeps hearing? **

**RANDOM QUESTION!—What are you listening to right now? I'm listening to Akiakane's cover of "Meltdown." :3 **

**QUESTION FOUR—What does the riddle mean?**

**QUESTION FIVE—when's the last time you got sick?**

**And tada, I hate making questions. -_- **

**Okay okay, so, I need you al to go and look at CelticGirl7's companion one-shot for this right now AND THAT'S AN ORDER, SOLDIER. :U I'm kidding, but that would be nice. :3**

**Okay, so, I've been redoing the crappy chapters in the first book, and I need you to also go check those out. The last one I re-did is chapter twelve. IT'S A LOT BETTER THIS TIME AROUND. :D**

**Aaaaaand that's all I can think of. :I okay, then, jaa ne~! :D**


	20. Hate

**Okay guys I know this is a quick update and that's good but I can't help myself so here it goes. **

**You know what scratch that I wrote that a long time ago thank you to CelticGirl7, OtakuChan88, Siri Catriona, fireflame1801, hetaliaforever123, caset290, Kitana Lunara, and Charlotte and Rashka. Okay sorry again for being late. **

Alex's POV

"Listen to me—"I tell Rin, taking her hand to ensure she's paying attention, "even if they did give you up, it's not your fault. How could you have known?"

"I know," she replies, ducking her head slightly while nodding. "I know."

Then I suppose she's talking to Japan, seeing as she stares off into space, the same thing I do when I talk to the Italies. But something's wrong. She's gritting her teeth and glaring at a point off by her foot. I really hate Japan—what's he telling her?!

Finally, I decide I have to snap her out of it. "Rin, are you okay?" I ask, bending slightly to try to meet her eyes. When I do see her dull brown orbs, I draw back slightly; she looks like she's about to kill something. She brings her hands up and over her ears, like she's trying to block me out. "Rin, what's wrong? Rin-Rin?" I hope using our special nickname for her will make her stop listening to him, but it seems to only make her angrier. "…Rin…?"

My head aches from the hangover, but I stand up and move in front of her. "Rin, please! Rin?! Rin!" I shake her shoulders, but her head lolls from side to side. I'm really worried about her now. "Rin, snap out of it! Rin, please! Rin!"

"What's wrong with her?!" someone asks. When I glance behind, it's that albino girl whose name I haven't learned.

"I dunno!" I say at her.

That one nation girl who likes frying pans—Hungary, Italy and Romano call her—comes in and kneels in front of Rin, who is still motionless and still. She looks into her eyes and then shines a flashlight in them. I've seen doctor-people do this, so I assume it's good for the patient…? "Rin, I need you to look at me," she says.

Rin doesn't. She slumps back, as if she's been hit in the chest. Her face morphs into an expression of shock and anger. Her fingers tighten around the strands of her hair, and she shrieks without warning, "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

All of a sudden, certain places on her body turn a bright, violent pink, then red. It's like invisible swords cutting her, and blood gushes from the wounds—lots on her ankles, a few on her wrists, and one on the back of her head. And, most hauntingly, the one on her chest that faded a few days ago….

Rin screams again, but this time, the agony is palpable in her voice. I gasp and start forward, but the albino nation—Prussia—holds me back. "You'll make it worse," he tells me in a mutter.

_C—calm down!_

Wh—what the freak's wrong with her?!

_I don't know! _

Rin falls from the chair she was sitting on, and Hungary catches her by her shoulders. More nations pour into the room—America, Romano and Italy, Germania and Rome, France, Spain—and I sweat and shiver repeatedly.

"Help me put her on the bed," Hungary says to no one in particular as Rin struggles and screams. America jumps forward to help.

"I _HATE_ YOU! I _HATE_ YOU! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! _LEAVE—ME—ALONE!_" Rin cries, thrashing against America's hands. Tears pour out of her eyes, mingling with the blood on her face.

"Rin!" I keep calling, also fighting to get to her. Italy and Romano keep trying to help comfort me, but it's not working.

Hungary puts a mask over Rin's face. "That's right—just breathe—it's okay, you'll be okay…." Slowly, Rin's fighting stops, and she goes limp. The two nations work together to stitch up her wounds—meaning, Hungary tells America what to go get her, and he does.

I hang against Prussia's restraining arms, my eyes wide and horrified. "…Rin…," I repeat. "En—England," I call to him as I he appears, Lauren at his side like always. "You know magic—wh—what's wrong with her?"

England looks back at me, and I remember he's still Lauren, and Lauren's still him, so I think I'm talking to Lauren, but he replies, "I'm afraid I don't know…."

"Wait, I'm sorry—who are you?"

"England," England replies. "I finally got my body back. "

"_Thanks to Norway!_" a voice calls from down the hall.

"Thanks to Norway," England sulkily repeats. "What exactly happened?"

"I—I don't really know. She apparently forgot everything about her past life, so I was telling her about it, but she stopped all of a sudden. She was talking to Japan, or _something_ and she wouldn't—or couldn't—snap out of it, a—and that happened…." I gesture at her motionless form. There's—… there's so much blood….

I suddenly remember that night, when our captor, whatever his name is, hurt Rin physically for the first time. Of course, like every other dramatic event, it just _had_ to happen on a dark and stormy night. We were tailing someone. I think it was France. We were in France, too, I think.

_I could feel my adrenaline flowing, causing trembles to shake my body. I grabbed Rin's and Sydney's hands, glad for their company, and I tried to ignore the man behind us, making sure we wouldn't run away. _I'm sorry, whoever you are_, I thought as I eyed the blond haired man through a window as he purchased a bottle of wine. _

_The cycle started over, and I started sweating, adding more water to the rain soaking my clothes. "This is far enough," the man—he used the name "LaRoux" today—muttered. He steered us like dogs by the scruffs of our jackets into an alleyway, where he tied us to the gutter. A "Don't try anything" wasn't even necessary by now. _

_He disappeared. None of us said anything—we knew we were being watched at that very moment. One of his thugs always watched from a distance to make sure we didn't escape. I stood there, hand in hand with my friends, torn between hope the nation got away and hope that he didn't. _

_We hadn't successfully caught a nation before, so we didn't know what would happen if we did. Would he let us go? Most likely not; he'd want more test subjects, always wanted more. _

_Mr. LaRoux came back down the alleyway after maybe an hour. I could hear him long before I could see him. And I didn't need to see him to know the nation got away. _

_I took a deep breath, my muscles tensing. A beating was sure to come. _

_His shadow appeared. I closed my eyes, tightening my grip on Sydney's and Rin's hands. One of us was going to be torn away and hurt. It was most likely going to be me. But it could just as well be Sydney. Never Rin—he never hurt her. I didn't know why. Maybe mentally torturing her was more fun. _

_The sadistic __***beep***__. _

_But his knife cut through the ropes around Rin's hands. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. Rin's eyes were wide and terrified, and so were Sydney's and mine. "No!" I gasped. "Please—don't hurt her!" _

_But he ignored me, dragging Rin by her hair away a few meters. She seemed determined to not make a sound. He was muttering to himself as he threw her against the wall. _

_Sydney was beside herself, crying and struggling and calling for Rin. The crony who must have been watching us appears suddenly, leaping from the fire escape on the building next to us and landing like a large raven. He put his beefy hand over Sydney's mouth, muffling her cries. _

_I was in shock. I couldn't make myself move or talk at all. He was going to hurt Rin, whom he had never laid a hand on. Then I saw the angle of the knife in his hand, and it all changed—he was aiming to stab her. _

_Mr. LaRoux had pinned Rin to the dirty ground, sitting on her stomach. She was hyperventilating, a scream seconds from breaking from her mouth. He raised the knife above his head, and he was about to bring it down into her heart, but he slipped in his drunken stupor. But the knife still came down, making a deep cut across Rin's chest. _

_Rin let out a scream, and he slapped her, yelling "SHUT UP!" She struggled weakly, trying to remove him. He fell sideways, and she was able to scuttle backwards until she hit the wall. Rin's hands came up to her collarbone, as if she was trying to put the blood back in her body. _

_Another one of Mr. LaRoux's handymen appeared. He sawed through the ropes, and as soon as they were gone, I hurtled towards Rin. I hadn't realized I was chanting her name until she quietly shouted "What?!" _

_My breathing was ragged. I rubbed my sleeves over the cut, soaking up blood and rain water. Rin tried to stop my hands, murmuring, "I'm okay. I'm okay." _

"_You're okay?!" I repeated shrilly. "Have you seen all this blood?!" _

_So she remained quiet, and her consciousness started slipping as fast as the blood leaking from the wound. I don't know when the first thug let go of Sydney, but she was suddenly there, crying and trying to pinch the cut closed with her fingers. _

_The brutes wanted us to go. We had to go back to Headquarters. Thug Number Two had picked up Mr. LaRoux, whom had passed out from the alcohol. Thug Number One wanted to pick up Rin, whom was also immobile. I rammed my palms into his shoulders, yelling "Don't touch her!" _

_Before he could overreact, I knelt down and gently pulled a semi-conscious Rin onto my back. Her blood was warm against the cold rain. _

After that, I remember feeling so helpless, watching Rin slowly inhale and exhale with a bandage covering nearly her entire torso. That's why I feel like I do now. I want to be there for her. I have to remember Hungary and America aren't trying to hurt her more.

"I see…," he mutters, putting a thoughtful hand to his chin.

This comment rubs me the wrong way. He _doesn't_ see. He's just saying that so I'll get off his back. He doesn't get what it's like, to see her so pale again, to see her in pain like this again. Sure, he's seen other humans in this condition before, but did he care about them like I care for Rin? I doubt it.

Calm the freak down. You're just worried.

_I know I'm worried!_

No, dipwad, I mean you're _too_ worried. It messes up your thinking. Just go take a freaking breather. 

_I don't need to. I'm fine. I'm thinking perfectly straight._

You're fantasizing about cutting of Scone-Jerk's head. 

_Yeah, well, you do that all the time!_

I'm not watching a person I love slowly bleed to death.

The roar that escapes me doesn't sound human. I hurtle at Romano, going for his throat. "Don't you _ever_ talk like that _again!_" I shout at him, shaking him. Veneziano is crying, and Spain, Prussia, and France all pry me away kicking and screaming. "SHE'S—NOT—DYING!" I howl, thrashing against the arms restraining me. "Do_ NOT_ put that idea in my head!"

H—hey! Calm the freak down!

_DON'T YOU DARE TELL ME WHAT TO FREAKING DO!_

Pain suddenly explodes through my body, my arm especially. I can _hear_ the crack. As I go limp, screaming my head off, all the nations confining me draw back, and there's a flurry of "Who did that?!"

"Are you okay?!" someone asks.

Normally, I'd make a bitterly sarcastic comment, but the pain is too much. "No—no, it's broken—"

"Let me see it," England's voice commands.

I don't put up a fight. I hold out my violently trembling arm, and he gingerly inspects it. "Yes, that's broken." He turns on the trio who was holding me back. "Who did it?"

"Wasn't anyone," I mutter through clenched teeth. "They weren't holding me that hard—"

"Then how did—?" England lets out a gasp. "You're bleeding!"

I look down, and sure enough, the gashes that Germany made on me are back. My forehead suddenly starts _burning_. Like, the pain of that far exceeds anything else. I've learned over the course of having my curls not to touch my head at all, but I clutch at it now, screaming in agony.

No one seems to want to touch me. There's a flurry of concerned voices, but I can hardly hear them. I can hardly hear anything.

Then, all of a sudden, the pain just…stops. My ragged breathing slows down to normal, and I look down at my arm. It doesn't hurt anymore. I flex my fingers, half-fascinated and half-disgusted when they work with no searing agony. I feel my chest, and I find the cuts have already closed.

I look up, at Romano, whom is still standing above me. He stares down at me in shock. Then again, everyone is staring at me.

_Uhm…What happened?_

_Ve~ I don't know! You just fell, saying your arm was broken, and then you—_

_Veneziano, sorry, I'm talking to Romano._

_Ve~….Okay…? _

_Romano? Romano, I'm sorry for strangling you. _I can't hear him. He looks conflicted and surprised.

Then he says slowly, "I can't hear you."

"I—I can't hear you, either," I say.

"Your curl is gone." He points to my forehead. I rake a hand through my bangs, expecting pain, but it feels normal. Surprised, I pat the back of my head and then hiss in pain when my hand comes in contact to my other curl.

"Is this good or bad?" I ask to no one in particular.

No one answers.

"…Your eyes are a different color," the albino girl says. Veneziano dubs her Louisa.

"Different…how?"

"Like, they were kind of greenish earlier, but now they're hazel," she answers.

"So…." I pause. "What happened?"

"I guess you're not my lookalike anymore," Romano offers.

England suddenly looks like he remembers something. "_Oh!_" he exclaims. "_This cannot be changed: you must save one but lose the other. But are you willing to save both lives to lose one as close as a brother?_ It all makes sense now!"

"Then, please, elaborate," I say, cradling my arm closer to myself even though it doesn't hurt.

"It's not exactly clear, but here's what I think—you're not Romano's lookalike anymore because you were mad at him. Well, not just mad. You were ready to kill him—if he were mortal. _To lose one as close as a brother._ You destroyed your friendship, and that destroyed the brotherly bond between you! That must have been what happened between Rin and Japan, too!"

"…That is the single sappiest curse to ever be lifted."

"He could be wrong, though," Louisa comments.

"I very well could be," England agrees. "And, perhaps everything stopped hurting because you're still Italy's lookalike. But when you break the bond between you two…you might be in danger."

I nod solemnly. But I can't help correcting him—"Veneziano."

"I'm sorry?"

"He's Veneziano. They're _both_ Italy."

"Oh, please," Romano scoffs. "I'm used to it."

I shrug. "It's a habit by now."

He rolls his eyes and makes a rude gesture at me. "_Fratello_!" Veneziano scolds. "That wasn't very nice!" He smiles again. "Hug therapy time~!"

"Ack! No!" he yells as his brother glomps him. Spain grins and joins the embrace whether Romano likes it or not—and he doesn't.

Someone taps my shoulder. I jump and whirl around. "Sorry!" Hungary exclaims. "I just thought you'd want to see your friend."

I'm normally not the hugging type, but I can't help but embrace the woman. "Thank you," I say gratefully.

"It's all right," she says, smiling. "She's awake, but we had to sedate her. Nothing big—just nitrous oxide." When I give her a funny look, she clarifies, "Laughing gas. It'll wear off eventually. Just try not to excite her."

I nod and enter the infirmary. Rin trails her eyes on me, and I almost burst into tears then and there as I eye her and the tubes sticking out of her arms. She just looks so _pale_! "Don't ever scare me like that again!" I mutter as I drop to my knees in front of her and take her hand. There's a slow beeping sound. It's coming from a monitor to the side of the bed. It's her pulse. Right now, it's a relaxed beat.

She gives a weak smile. "I don't even know what I did wrong!"

"It's Japan's fault," I growl. "Is he listening? I have a few things I wanna say to him."

Rin thinks for a minute, and then she concludes, "Nope. He's gone." She looks around, then waves me closer like she's about to reveal a secret. When I'm closer to her, she whispers in my ear, "I don't want him to come back."

I laugh. "I don't, either. So how d'you feel?"

"I dunno," she says simply, and then she giggles. "You look funny!"

"Oh, I do, do I?" I inquire, joining in. I can't help it.

"Where's Sydney?" she asks, like she really doesn't remember what happened.

I look behind when Hungary clears her throat at me. She shakes her head, and I get her message; _this is a dangerous subject. Change topics immediately. _

"Oh, uh…," I say. She looks at me innocently. "Say, d'you remember that one time when you found a spider in your hair, and you made me come and kill it?"

"She is here…isn't she?" Rin insists quietly.

"W—well…," I say, squeezing her hand. "How much do you remember?"

"Alex," Hungary reminds, raising her eyebrows.

"L—let me rephrase that," Rin says. The monitor starts beeping faster as the answer seems to dawn on her. "She—…. She's… okay? I—isn't she?"

"All right," Hungary intervenes, putting her hand on my shoulder but looking at Rin, "it's time to go now. You need rest."

Her heart rate increases. "No! P—please don't leave!" Her grip on my hand tightens.

Hungary moves over to a thing, and she presses a button. Rin's grasp starts to weaken. I try to calm her. "Rin, it's okay, you're going to be okay! I'll stay right here, I promise!"

Her hand goes limp as she passes out.

I turn on Hungary. "What did you do that for?!"

"The exertion would have hurt her worse!" she counters, fingering the handle of the frying pan under her belt.

I take a few deep breaths, trying to control my temper. "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just really worried about her."

"It's okay," she says. "I understand."

"C—can I just stay here?" I ask hesitantly. I know I'm not exactly trustworthy right now, with my strangling Romano and blowing up at her for trying to help.

"Sure," she says. "But don't wake her up. She lost a lot of blood. She'll need rest."

I nod, and she leaves the room without a backwards glance.

I pull a spinning chair up next to her bed and sit on it backwards, resting my chin on the back. I grab Rin's lifeless hand and hold it, gently stroking her fingers.

There's a large gash on the back of her hand. It's not a clean cut like the other ones on her. It's rough, like a scrape. I frown at it. It's on the back of her hand. If it was on her palm, I wouldn't have questioned it; people scrape their palms when they fall down all the time. How on earth did she manage to scrape only the back?

The door opens hesitantly. Issa stands there, frowning at Rin. She looks sad. I guess she really does care. Anyway, she turns on her heel and walks right back out, letting her hair cover her eyes.

The next few hours are uneventful. Veneziano, of course, doesn't stop thinking about random things. It's amazing how someone who thinks so much can be so… airheaded.

Finally, Rin squeezes her eyes tighter, like the dim ceiling lights are too bright. I sit up straighter, holding on to her hand with both of mine. "Rin? You feeling okay?"

She tries to say something, but it's like her throat hurts or something. She reaches her other hand up, and then stops when she feels the tubes sticking out of it. Her heart monitor beeps a little bit faster.

"No, no, Rin, it's okay, I'm here," I comfort her, clasping her hand tighter.

She opens her eyes. "A—Alex…," she whimpers.

"Shh, it's okay, you're okay…," I tell her, stroking her hair behind her ear. "Just calm down, all right?"

Rin nods, but she's obviously shaken. She also looks slightly…relieved.

"Do you remember what happened?" I ask her.

"I—" She clears her throat. "I remember, but I d—don't really understand it. B—but I can't hear him anymore."

"Yeah, we figured," I tell her.

"H—how?"

"Well, I don't think Japan heard this, but there was this riddle thingy, and when you look past all the creepy cryptic stuff, it means you have to hate your nation to break the lookalike process thing," I explain.

"H—hate…," she repeats. "How did they figure that out?"

"Oh, well, I provided another example."

"What did you do?" She frowns suspiciously.

"I, uh, kinda sorta started choking Romano." I shrug. "He's immortal. No big deal."

"Why?" she asks, like a disapproving mother.

"He said some stuff, and I probably overreacted."

"'Probably.'"

"Okay, fine, I overreacted and started choking him." I look down. "He said you were dying. I just couldn't let that idea into my head, so I started freaking out."

"Alex…," she says, squeezing my hand and looking up with a mixture of pity and amusement, "you know I'm not one do go down without one heck of a fight."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sydney's POV

_The whole world looks down upon us. I suppose we deserve it. We did kill thousands of each of their citizens. _

"_How could you?" America asks, his voice low and serious. _

"_I—…," I say. I am ashamed at myself. I normally don't stutter. But I don't understand how I ever thought my actions were acceptable. On either sides of me, Japan and Italy look equally guilty. A normally apathetic Japan fiddles awkwardly with the buttons on his coat. His arm is in a sling due to the bombs that America dropped on his country. _

_I honestly don't understand why I ever went along with the Fuhrer's plan. It caused many, many innocent people deaths they didn't deserve. It's like I was in some sort of daze. _

"_You what?" England demands. "What do you have to say for yourselves?" _

_Italy whimpers. I want to comfort him, but I don't think anything I say will help him. _

I open my eyes. This is really weird. I'm looking out of Germany's eyes still, but I, Sydney, can see out of my eyes. I can't really explain it. I'm standing behind Germany, yet still seeing out his eyes. I can't move.

Slowly, other figures appear behind several other nations. Why hasn't this happened in other flashbacks? Maybe I just didn't notice it before. Soon, there's a figure standing behind America, England, France, Russia, China, and Italy. Strangely, there's not one behind Japan.

_America slams his hands on the table._ The figure behind him does, too. I don't think these figures are supposed to be there. _"I thought you were my friend, Japan!" _

_England puts his hand on his shoulder. "We all did." Japan ducks his head down so far his chin touches his chest. I can't look at France; I hurt him pretty badly, myself. And Netherlands. And Poland. I hurt them all. _

'Is this one different to anyone else…?' whispers a voice. I hardly hear it. I'm not worried, though. I've been hearing a lot of voices lately. It's mainly Alex's and Rin's voices. And they're always screaming. Cutter always just makes it worse, but Germany's being really nice and trying to comfort me whenever I find myself in the corner, screaming my head off because I can't take it anymore. I thought I'd just tolerate him and he'd tolerate me, but we've become friends.

'Yeah,' whispers a different voice.

'How many people can hear me?'

'Nice, person. Like we're all just gonna work together. Haven't you seen any other flashbacks?'

'That was rude.'

'Yeah, come on, he's just asking a question.'

'Oh, shut up.'

I don't answer any of the voices. I shouldn't encourage them. They'll just keep coming back.

_Everyone just starts yelling. It's not the normal yelling, meaningless arguments. They're __angry__. _

'You haven't said anything yet," the figure behind Italy points out at me. 'Everyone else has.'

'Leave me alone,' I tell him.

'S—Sydney?' he asks hopefully.

I sigh. Alex's voice again. It's not really him; it never is. I've finally gone insane, that's the only explanation.

'Syd? That is you. I—Isn't it?'

'Calm down. She's probably just ashamed. I mean, Germany's lookalike in this memory must be pretty hard.' _America lashes out at me, and I don't fight back. _I feel the slap. 'Ouch. See what I mean?'

'What's that supposed to mean?' I ask. My thought voice even sounds dull. 'Germany's not a bad person.'

All of the voices start up indignantly. 'Not a bad person?' they all seem to say. 'You know what he's done!'

'He didn't do it,' I respond monotonously.

'Sydney—'

'No,' I interrupt firmly. 'You're not real. You're just another voice in my head.'

'What do you mean?'

'I mean exactly what I said. Just leave me alone.' I start fighting weakly against the flashback. Usually, I just let them take over me; they're the only source of entertainment in this place. Granted, I destroy the room whenever one takes over me, but it's better than listening to invisible voices. But they've followed me to my only sanctuary. I might just go insane. I probably already am.

It's working. I'm waking myself up.

'No,' Alex's voice pleads. 'Syd, listen to me! I can really hear you! I'm going to come and help you out of there, all right?! Just stay with me a little longer!'

'It's too late for that…,' I whisper. The room the flashback takes place in starts dissolving.

'No! Sydney! _Sydney!_'

_Sydney!_

I jerk my eyes open. _What?_

_What memory was that?! You were screaming!_

_I wasn't screaming. You weren't, in the memory. So how could I be?_

Germany sighs. _I don't know…. _

_I could hear them again,_ I whimper in my mind.

_I thought you couldn't when the flashbacks took over you._

_I thought so too. _

_**You could hear your stupid friends?**_

_Uh-huh. _

_**Like, they were still in Austria, and you could hear them?**_

_I guess so._

It seems to think about it for a while. Then, it finally decides, _**There's really no reason to keep you alive, is there? And if you can somehow speak to the outside, then I guess it's time for you to go. **_

_No!_ Germany protests, struggling against It. _You can't!_

The door in my room opens. Germany's body stands there, alone, wrinkling his nose at the broken furniture that I destroyed during the more violent memories. _**I knew this place was a mess, but man. **_

"I can't help it," I whisper aloud. I'm sitting in the fetal position in the far corner of the room, huddles in a pile of broken glass like the insane, feral, wounded creature I am.

Germany struggles harder against Cutter as he raises his pistol and aims it at me. _No! NO! _

I stare weakly into the barrel of the gun. Then I look away. "Just do it."

_NO!_

BANG.

**DUNDUNDUNNNNNNN**

**Question one! Are you mad at me for waiting a month to get around to doing this?**

**Question two! Have you ever been to the emergency room? If so, how long ago?**

**Random question! Do you have your Christmas tree up yet?**

**Question four! What happened to Sydney?**

**Question five! Have you ever wanted to kill someone? **

**Okay, sorry again for the wait!**

**GUYS I GOT A WATTPAD ACCOUNT. I'm basically just copying the stories I already have and posting them again there, but I've made some changes. I'm still memoranda. ^_^**

…**And that's all I can think of right now BAI**


	21. Old Demons Attack

**Hi there! **

**GUESS WHAT THE WORLD ENDS TOMORROW and by the time you read this it will be past Dec. 21, so, SEE YA ALL IN HEAVEN**

**Mucho gracias to fireflame1801, hetaliaforever123, InsanityAintOptional, Siri Catriona, CelticGirl7, Charlotte and Rashka, and caset290! :D **

**GUYS I THINK I'M SICK AGAIN**

_**AND**_** THIS IS THE FIRST SNOW DAY THIS YEAR **

**GUESS WHO'S NOT A VERY HAPPY CAMPER **

**No your guess is invalid iTS ME**

**UPDATE: SOS SEND HELP, I REPEAT, SEND HELP SOS SOS SOS **

**Nah, I'm just kidding. WORST. APOCALYPSE. EVER. **

**Okay HAPPY 2013 PEOPLE **

**FYI: Mother North is North America. ^_^**

**DO YOU GUYS UNDERSTAND THAT I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR HETALIA OR BASICALLY ANYTHING SO I CANT BE SUED BECAUSE ITS NOT MIIIINE **

**Okay okay I shut up nao**

Issa's POV

I watch as Norway sets up his magic-thingy to switch back Lauren and England. "You probably shouldn't be in the same room," he tells me.

"Right," I respond.

"And, if you could, would you please smack Denmark in the face until he's quiet?" he adds irately, glaring out the open door, where said country's voice wafts in obnoxiously. The other Nordics, including Sealand, also came over to give their condolences and advice, or, in Denmark's case, wreak havoc with the BTT, Louisa, and Harvey, who is actually quite the troublemaker.

"Yeah, no problem," I reply. I give Lauren and England a slightly amused, slightly worried look and leave the room. Walking down the hall a bit after closing the door, I wander down to the living room, where everyone is.

Iceland gives me a worried glance and scoots away from me.

I just smile innocently at him and sit down next to Matt. _Hi,_ he greets me. _England and Lauren getting switched?_

_Uh-huh,_ I respond. "Hey, Denmark," I call. "Norge wants you to be quiet," I tell him.

"Heh, no thanks," he responds. He, the BTT, Sealand, Louisa, and Harvey are playing the Human Knot. For those of you who aren't familiar with it, it's where a group of people grasp their hands together randomly in a jumble, forming a knot made of arms. Without letting go of the two people's hands, you have to untangle the knot by stepping over arms, twisting into awkward positions, and other things. I'm surprised Louisa is okay with this; it's a highly intimate game. I know I don't like holding other people's hands, much less making a fool of myself while doing it. It's fun to watch, though.

I wave at Sweden and Finland, who wave back. I don't know why people are afraid of Sweden; he's nothing but a big sweetheart. Another gentle giant, just like Russia. Finland's cute, and I hear he's an excellent shot; perhaps even greater than Switzerland, but I won't tell him that.

Sealand took an immediate liking to Louisa. For about three seconds, he was wary of her because of her skin tone, hair color, and eye color, but then he decided she looks like something from an anime, and he hasn't stopped following her around since. Louisa, on the other hand, finds this attachment awkward. It doesn't really help that the answers all his questions with either "Yes," "No," or "Because I'm awesome."

Finally, Louisa trips over Prussia's leg and falls, pulling France and Sealand down with her. They bring down the other two, and the whole room cracks up. Well, except for the tsundere nations like Austria, Switzerland, and Romano, and then Sweden, who just doesn't show emotion.

"Okay, okay, I'm done, let me up," Louisa finally laughs, struggling under the pile of nations, micronation, and human. They all sit up, and she decides she's going to take a walk. I don't think a few of the more responsible nations trust her quite yet, and Hungary quietly excuses herself, going in the same direction Louisa left.

Lauren and England come back in. Lauren's body comes, sits between me and Mattie, and puts her head over my lap and her legs on his. They're back in their own bodies. But I decide to be sarcastic about this. "Hey, England."

Lauren just giggles, and the real England frowns. "We're back to normal," he protests.

"I know, England," I respond in my "Duh" voice. He scowls at me, but I smile jokingly.

An all-too-familiar fogginess starts developing over my brain: I'm going into a flashback. Sad, I've been enjoying a few days without them. Though my tongue's slurred by this, I force myself to say, "Guys—I'm gonna—flash—"

Mattie nods. Lauren jumps up and hugs me tightly, pinning my arms to my side so I can't freak out and kill someone. From across the room, Harvey has the same glazed look in his eyes as he manages, "Uhm, me too…." Prussia and France grabs his arms and forces them behind his back.

I notice the Nordic's confused expressions, and Lauren explains for them, "These aren't pretty. Trust me." And then I fade out.

_I watched silently as the newcomers flooded onto my shores, apprehensiveness taking a hold on me. What did they want? Where were they from? What were they going to do with my land? I had to go get Mother North or Brother right now, they had to help me. _

_Slowly, so I didn't rustle a single leaf, I scaled down the tree I was hiding in. Once on the ground, I kept a wary eye on the pale-faced strangers, who talked in a strange language and wore strange clothes. That man must have been the chief; all the people were looking to him for orders. He had yellow hair, kind of like me and Brother…. How come my people didn't have yellow hair? _

_I grasped my hand onto my bow, not to shoot them, but for comfort. I—I could, if I wanted to, but they haven't done anything bad yet. They were just looking, which was fine. But they still scared me…. Maybe I could just have an arrow loaded, just in case…._

_The Chief of the foreigners had shoulder-length yellow hair, tied into a little ponytail with a purple string. He was wearing… I couldn't even describe it. It just looked ridiculous…. They were nothing compared to my deerskin clothes. His moccasins didn't even look comfortable like mine were. _

_I was so interested in these people that I wasn't watching where I was stepping, and I broke a stick with my foot. The heads of the newcomers snapped in my direction. Fear filling me, I held my breath, my fingers trembling with my arrow; I was having trouble holding it in place. Slowly, the chief walked closer. I could see his eyes now; they were blue. Like Brother's. None of our people had blue eyes…. _

_He pushed away the bushes that concealed me. I squeaked in alarm and let my arrow fly, but, even though he wasn't that far away from me, I missed. The arrow lodged into a tree. Startled, the man jumped back. I loaded another arrow. I wouldn't miss this time. _

_The man held up his hands and smiled. That part confused me: why is he smiling at me? I let the arrow creep a little. Suddenly, I really felt his presence. He was different. He was like me and Brother and Mother North, I just knew it. _

_The man pointed at himself. "Je suis la France." _**(I am France GUESS WHAT LANGUAGE)**

_Somehow, I knew he was introducing himself. I unloaded the arrow from my bow and stared at him. His name was "Ji suu la Frahnce?" _**(This is what that kind of sounds like to me when I pressed listen on Google Translate YAY FOR LAME HUMOR)**

I open my eyes. "Meeting France for the first time," I explain immediately.

Lauren lets go of me. "Well, that wasn't so bad," she comments.

"Yeah, it was kinda cute," I reply.

"Cute?!" Harvey echoes from across the room. "You shot an arrow at my _face_!"

"_Canada_ shot an arrow at your face. You were trespassing on his land," I retort. "No—wait—_France_ was trespassing on Canada's land and he was scared. And it's not like it would've killed him!"

Matt laughs. "I remember that."

I look towards where France was, but he's not there. Instead, Denmark is holding Harvey back. I wonder where he went. Looking around, a lot of the other nations are gone, too. Just the Nordics and Canada are left. "Where did everyone go?" I ask.

"Something's wrong with someone named Rin," Finland supplies.

"Wrong?" I repeat. "How long was I out?"

"About ten minutes," Lauren responds. "Don't freak out."

"I'm not freaking out," I protest. "What's wrong with her?"

"I heard England say something about the riddle-thing," Josh supplies. I didn't notice him earlier, so his presence startles me. "Like—oh, wait—"

"What?" I demand.

"It's that Alex person," Harvey supplies. "He's—"

"He's what?!"

_Calm down._

_I'm calm!_

_No you're not._

I scowl at him but remain silent as the lookalikes whose nation can see what's going on "watch" what's happening. "'Kay," Josh says after a minute. "He's fine."

"Thanks," I say at him. "What about Rin?"

"Unconscious, but breathing," Harvey supplies.

"What happened to her?"

"So, like, the riddle, you remember it?" Josh says. When I nod, he continues, "_Save both but lose one as close as a brother._ It means they have to be, like, mad at each other."

"Not just mad," Harvey interjects. "_Furious_. They have to want each other dead."

"...Oh, just that…," I say. _I don't think I could ever be that mad at you…._

Mattie doesn't answer for a while. _…It'll be hard,_ he agrees finally.

_So, that's what happened to Rin? Then why is she unconscious?_

_Good question._ Then he asks that.

"Her wounds only went away because she was a lookalike. So, now that she's not anymore, they came back, I guess," Josh explains. "Alex freaked out at Romano, so he's not his lookalike anymore. He'd be in the infirmary with her if he wasn't also Italy's lookalike."

"That makes sense…." _Not really, but whatever happens happens…._

_I've never understood magic…._

"S—so, all the injuries we had before'll come back. That means a couple of us will—"

"—be in trouble," Josh finishes. "That'll be Dimah, me, Zack, you…."

"Alex, once he breaks off from Italy…." I can't think of anyone else who was hurt before the lookalike thing happened to them. Dimah has the scars from his dad, Josh was shot twice, but he won't be too bad, Zack was shot in the stomach, and then there's my arm and face. Alex has a _lot_ of wounds, from what I've heard.

I get up and walk cautiously to the infirmary. If anyone questions this, I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. I feel overprotective about Rin a little; we kind of bonded by making fun of Japan and me helping her through her lifelong friends being captured and tortured, so she's my friend even if I'm not hers, and I kind of feel responsible….If that makes any sense….

At school, I had the same kind of feeling, excluding the life or death situations. Like, some people would be friendly to me and talk to me and all that, but I never really thought I was their friend because they always had someone they were closer to they would choose over me. It's not like I cared they had different friends, don't get me wrong. It's just, they way they acted around their friends and the way they acted around me were different; I could tell they'd rather be with their friend. I can kinda see that in Rin before Alex turned up, and I don't really blame her: those three, from what I've heard, have been thick as thieves since birth.

As soon as I open the door to the infirmary, I immediately realize I'm not ready for this. The smell of blood, I mean. Seeing a friend lying incapacitated on a bed. The IV tubes sticking out of her arms. Even the sight of Alex stroking her hand, a worried and tired look on his face, makes me want to run away. I don't know why, but I've been more sensitive to these things since Lauren tried to free Russia and she came back almost dead.

I close the door again as Alex glances up at me, and I turn around and walk away, trusting my instincts rather than my mind. As I walk away blindly, I rub my thumb over the curved line separating different halves of the leaf on my necklace, a habit formed long ago.

I wind up in one of the secret passages of the manor. I don't remember how exactly I got in here, and I don't know where this one leads. For a few seconds, I use the dusty wall to keep myself up, trying to control my breathing. It's just… the blood, and…. I can't explain this overwhelming feeling of helplessness. I feel Matthew hovering in the back of my mind, feebly wondering what he can say to calm me down. _It's okay,_ I tell him, _it'll pass soon. _ I can only tell that he nods in consent, entering a conversation with Harvey. Harvey's just curious about Quebec and how many other provinces of his speak French, and how was the French culture affecting his people. Or something like that.

Finally, the dizziness passes and I remove my hand from the wall. I left a handprint in dust. This entire secret corridor gives off the air of unkemptness and dust, from its dimly lit hanging ceiling lamps to the rotting, unpainted wood from the walls and floors. My footsteps make the floorboards squeak and dust fall from the low ceiling, falling on my hair like snowflakes. This passage hasn't been used in quite a while. I can hardly see in this light, so I just take step after step.

This is kinda creepy…. And to add insult to injury, I've seen a few spiders in here too. I hate the little creepers.

A cold draft washes over me, not helping the scariness factor. I have to stop walking when I run face-first into a door I didn't see because of the muted light. I yelp and flinch back, then fumble around for the handle. There's a little hook in the middle of the barrier, so I grasp it and pull, and it swings back.

I look into the startled faces of England, China, America, Italy, Romano, and Russia. "Oh," I say quietly. "Hi, guys."

Italy gets over the shock first. "Hi, Issa!" he chirps, waving from his spot next to Romano. I smile and wave back, then look at the front of the door. It's the painting of Austria that Chibitalia painted a mustache on, hanging over the mantle in the living room.

"Huh," I say. "Who da thunk it?"

England scowls at the grammar but ignores it. "How did you get up there?"

"Found a secret passage," I respond with an innocent shrug. "I was exploring, I guess. Ended up in here, so I just kept walking."

"Which secret passageway?" asks Russia curiously.

"I dunno. I wasn't paying much attention," I reply. "I'll just retrace my steps, then, shall I?" Before they answer, I swing the painting back in place and turn around, walking back through the musty corridor. I come out a few doors down from the courtyard, behind a long red curtain. _How the fudge did I find that without paying attention?!_

_Beats me,_ Mattie replies. _Your memories of that are fuzzy, so I can't really look into those too well._

I replace the curtain over the opening in the wall and turn around, walking back towards the living room. I flop on the seat next to Russia, curling my legs up and leaning on his chest. He immediately pats me on the head. I'm not this cuddly towards all the nations; just the ones I know like to be cuddled, like Russia and Mattie. England has some personal space, but we're good enough friends I can hug him without an immediate tsundere storm. America is fairly cuddly. Italy is cuddly, and so is Rome and Spain. Romano's not. Austria and Switzerland are not. China doesn't really care. France, well, he's a different story entirely.

"The entrance to the secret passage is behind a curtain in front of the courtyard door," I inform them. "Just in case you wanted to know."

No one really answers, and I look at the portrait concealing the passage. It's fairly high up, above the fireplace. If I wanted, I could climb up there and push through the painting door, or vice versa.

I get up and leave again, just wandering now. I make it down a few halls without seeing anyone when I start feeling foggy. _Flashback_, I register. Before I can panic about how I might accidentally destroy something, I stop in the middle of the hall and sink to my knees, and I fade out.

This flashback unsettles me slightly. I don't know why; we're just in a meeting place for a while. Then I realize I'm actually seeing everything from Mattie's point of view while thinking for myself, something I've never been able to do before. Mattie's not in my head for now, at least. I can tell I'm not moving where I stopped, that's good.

So, all the countries just sit around a table, just like they did at the world conference. Everyone's looking at the Axis, who guiltily avoid all eye contact. This must be right after WWII.

Then, under the loud shouting of the angry world, I hear whispers. I can't hear them very well; they're coming from way down the table where most of the shouting is happening. I can hardly see what's going on, too; other nations blocked Mattie's view. He tried to see, but he also didn't want to. Although the Axis hurt him too, he can't stand people yelling.

I open my eyes. I'm on my tiptoes in the middle of the corridor, just staring down the hall like I'm trying to see over a bunch of people. Just where you'd turn into this hall, Lauren stands, looking uncertain, like she wants to run, but she's afraid to. That must be scary. I mean, I can't control what I do when I flashback, and that's why I need to be tied down when one happens. To walk in on me having a memory unrestrained must be frightening, because I could accidentally hurt her without a second thought. And, by the way I came out of it; I wasn't doing anything but staring right at her. Maybe like I would attack.

The thought scares me a little. The power I have when Matt's flashbacks take over. I mean, he's a pretty laid back nation, but he really knows how to beat the crap outta someone.

"H—hi," I say, breaking the silence.

"Hi," she responds, smiling, albeit a little nervously. "What memory was that?"

"Right after WWII, I think. Everyone was yelling at the Axis," I tell her. "D—did I scare you?"

"A little," she admits. "I mean, I just walk in here and you're staring me down. You kinda looked like a zombie."

"Sorry," I laugh. "Mattie was trying to see over a bunch of people."

Dimah walks up. He gives a nod at Lauren, like he doesn't know they're switched back and Lauren's still England, and then asks me, "Did you just have a flashback?"

I nod. "Yeah. End of WWII?"

"Yes. Did it seem… different?"

"…Yeah, a little…. Did you hear, like—"

"Whispers?"

"Yeah."

"…I think it was the other lookalikes," Dimah says, awkwardly rubbing at his arm.

"I wouldn't really know; Ma—Canada was behind a bunch of other countries a ways away from everyone else. But maybe you're right…."

Lauren wraps her arms around Dimah's stomach. He kind of stiffens and looks down at her. When he uncertainly looks back at me, I nod, confirming that they were switched back. He smiles and bear-hugs her, then kisses her gently on the nose. Lauren giggles.

Suddenly, I hear raised voices. "I _heard_ her! She's _alive_; we've got to go save her!"

We run down the corridor and stop before the infirmary. The door itself is closed, maybe so Rin isn't startled too badly. Alex is fighting with the various nations there. Though he is outnumbered, he argues passionately. I don't know what happens, but I think Dimah has a vague understanding; he was closer to most of the whispers.

From most of the dispute, I get that Alex heard Sydney's voice, had a small conversation with her, even, and he wants to go save her from Germany. The other nations bicker about how dangerous it is.

"So you're saying we should just leave her there to _die,_" Alex accuses, stepping into England's personal space and clenching his fists dangerously.

"_No,_ that's _not _what I'm saying!" he protests, backing away to a comfortable distance, but holding his ground other than that. "I'm saying we should wait until—"

"Until you guys _finally_ get your crap together and _attack_?!" Alex's face is livid, and a snarl ripples his features when he adds, "Or until Syd _dies_?!"

"That was _uncalled_ for!" England protests.

"But you're not denying it!" With every word, his Italian accent gets thicker as his distress heightens. "You guys don't _do_ anything here but wait for things to work themselves out! You outnumber those guys by a _long_ shot! And you're waiting for _nothing_! This whole thing could be over and done with if you just show them who's boss!"

"…It's not that simple."

"What's the _problem_?!" he exclaims; his accent is so thick it's hardly understandable. Then, he backs down, using the wall to hold him steady, breathing heavily. It's not like something's wrong with him. More like he's so overcome with anger and grief that he needs a time out. "I don't understand why you can't just _do_ something! 'Cause if _you_ won't, _I'll_—"

"No you will _not_," England interjects firmly. "You will _not_ go and free Sydney. I know it's hard—"

"If _I_ don't, who _will_?!"

England ignores this. "—I know this is hard for you, but as long as you're Italy's lookalike, you're an asset. And if you break the connection, you'll be in no state to even try."

"I—don't—_care!_" he shouts. "I don't _care_ if I die as long as she's all right!" He pauses to take a few deep breaths. "I _promised_ I'd rescue her. And I don't give a flying rip if you disagree. I _never_ go back on my promises." And, still glaring down England and the other nations that must've been in the argument earlier, he backs off into the infirmary and plops down on the chair beside Rin.

England just sighs and rakes a hand through his hair. When he stalks off, I hear him mutter, "_Teenagers._ They _never_ change…."

For a minute, we all just kind of awkwardly stand there. Then, I break the silence and change the subject by asking Lauren, "Have you seen the roof yet?"

She shakes her head. "No, but it sounds cool!"

"I was up there for, like, ten minutes, then Austria found me there and I left," I tell her with a slight shrug. "It's pretty; you can see all of Vienna."

I start leading the way when Alina runs up and latches on to Dimah, and she starts talking quickly in Russian. Maybe she just wants to show him she still can. Dimah waves us forward, saying, "I'll meet you guys later."

I give him vague directions on which secret passages to take, and then we're off. Lauren insists on stopping at the kitchen for tea, and I make us stop for blankets: it's cold up there.

When I find the passage to the roof, Lauren looks amazed. I am too; it's different during the day. Then, for a while, we talk about random things, like, how France's hair looks fancier, or how England's eyebrows seem thicker and just watch the city. Lauren walks towards the railing and leans on it. A slight breeze blows the blanket back.

Suddenly, she puts her mug in the snow and ties the blanket around her neck. Then, turning back to me, she asks, "Who am I?" while putting her hands on her hips in a very dramatic fashion.

"Uhm, America?" I guess. The pose made me think that. Then, I get a better idea: "No, wait, Rome?"

"Yeah!" she says. Then she adjusts the blanket around her neck; this one is a bit more obvious as she smiles eerily.

"Russia!" I say, laughing.

Lauren unties the blanket and starts to do another disguise when she stops, staring at a dark corner at the far side of the roof. I see her stiffen, brown eyes widening slightly. I also pause, fearing the worst. "What's—…?"

Without warning, something small and black but obviously powerful—Teacup, I think— darts out of the shadows and pounces on Lauren. My natural instinct is to yelp and jump back. For a few horrible seconds, Lauren flails her arms, trying to right herself on the railing of the roof. I lunge forward. "_Lauren!_"

She tips backward off the roof, unable to control herself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dimah's POV

While I follow Lauren and Issa, Alina runs up and hugs me around my middle. "Dimah, Dimah, I need you," she babbles in Russian.

I smile at them. "Go ahead, I'll be there soon."

"All right. To get there, it's behind this door with a crystal doorknob. I don't think the doorknob actually works, so you have to push on the door and it'll open, and then there'll be this stairway," Issa tells me.

"Okay," I respond.

As they walk away, I hear Lauren ask, "Hey, let's get some tea."

"Okay, Alina, where's the fire?" I ask calmly, petting her hair. I can tell she's distressed; she's not good at showing emotion. It this thing you can only sense if you're around her long enough.

"It's Vera," she tells me.

"Wh—what's wrong with her?"

"I—I can't—"She shakes her head, trembling. "Just come here, I'll show you."

I follow her as she darts off without another word of explanation. She's sprinting, and my worry increases. _Should I come help?_ Russia asks.

_No, it's fine. I can handle whatever she can dish out,_ I dismiss.

Alina stops at a door that's cracked open, staring at it. She breathes heavily, quivering, and she points at it. I push open the door hesitantly. The light from the hall spills over the inky blackness of the dark room until I see Vera's trembling form against the wall. Tears slide down her face. "Vera?" I ask, stepping into the doorway. "What's wrong…?"

She shakes her head vigorously, mouthing something that I don't quite catch.

"What is it, Vera?" I ask again, going forward to her.

She takes a deep breath and says urgently, "It's a trap."

The door snaps shut. For a second, the only thing I'm aware of is black. Then, something cracks against my head sharply. Immediately dizzy, I collapse and the light turns on. I feel Vera next to me, shaking my shoulder and hysterically screaming my name. I hear Alina on the other side of the door call for the both of us once. I see a pair of shoes step closer and closer. My eyes travel up, and a jolt of fear pierces me.

"Father."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alex's POV

I stroke Rin's hand, gently moving my thumb around the jagged wound on the back of her hand. She fell asleep before the fight. I'm sure she would have supported me, had she been awake. I mean, she misses Syd as much as I do, and she also must wonder why we don't use our numbers against Germany and Japan….

Suddenly, the door bursts open, revealing a young blonde girl. She pants as if she's been running. "H—help, my f—father's going to hurt my sister and brother…!" she begs. I notice her face remains expressionless even through the urgency in her voice and the terror in her eyes. I think I heard something about her: she's Knife's—Belarus, if I'm not mistaken—lookalike, and she's related to Russia's and Pitchfork's—Ukraine's—lookalikes. I don't know her name, but I think I've seen her around.

I nod and stand up, giving Rin one more glance, and I follow the girl as she dashes to a closed door. After pointing at it, she puts her finger to her lips in a signal to be quiet. I nod, and then whisper to her, "You should clear out of here. Go back to the room I was just in, 'kay?" She nods, backs up a few steps, and darts away.

I eye the door cautiously. I wish I had my gun. But I bet I could just beat him up with this sword. I pull the decorative sword from its place on the wall, take a deep breath, and kick the door in. _Alex, wait, that's not a very good idea…!_

I nearly drop the sword. "Y—you!" I sputter as I stare horrified into the smug rusty brown eyes of our old captor.

**TRIPLE PLOT TWIST who was expecting that because i sURE WASN'T **

**Question one! Are you good with kids?**

**Question two! Which lookalike will be the next to break the connection? **

**RANDOM QUESTION! Describe the clothes you're wearing! **

**Question four! Are you squeamish about blood?**

**Question five! When's the last time you fell off of anything? **

**Okay okay okay I'm really sorry for being late. I started writing this on Dec. 20 and now it's Jan. 12****th**** go ahead and kill me. WHICH REMINDS ME if you read my other story I haven't given up on it I'm just lazy I promise **

**Okay, so, for my answer to RQ, I'm wearing pink and blue striped booty shorts (I know what you're thinking, but these are my pajamas and I haven't changed out of them all day and it's almost 6 PM) and a purple Aeropostale hoodie over a white cami o3o**

**And that's it BAI**


	22. Blood Like Rain

**HEY GUYS LOOK WHO'S BEEN PRODUCTIVE RECENTLY **

**Muchos gracias to ClaireFeradeNyan, InsanityAintOptional, AkitaNeruWolfLover, hetaliaforever123, CelticGirl7, caset290, fireflame1801, Art and Soul, Siri Catriona, and OtakuChan88! **

**Okay okay okay you guys are gunna hate me after this chapter I am so sorry it had to be done PLEASE FORGIVE ME **

Issa's POV

"_Lauren_!" I shriek, diving forward. I lean as far as I dare over the bar, just barely managing to grab her hand with both of mine. It freaking _hurts_, with the bar digging into my stomach and Lauren's weight stretching my arms, but I can't let go, I _can't_, I _have _to pull her back up. I stick one of my feet in between the vertical bars of the railing, trying to keep myself from falling over as well.

Lauren's passed out; there's no sign of Teacup. In the back of my mind, I wonder where the little turd went. I hope he fell. But my question is answered when Lauren draws in a shuddering gasp and throws her head up: her irises are red again. He went inside her, like, dissolved and went in through her nose or something.

She screams. "I—I got you, I got you!" I try to comfort her. "It's okay, I got you!" _Now if I could just get you up…!_

_I'm coming! Don't worry, I'll be there soon!_

I want to come up with something sarcastic, like, _oh, don't worry, we'll just hang around,_ but I can't really process my feeling into words.

Lauren screams again. I realize she's not yelling because she's scared; there's too much agony in her voice to be just terror. It's more like she's hurting really badly. Lauren struggles, writhing in midair. I grit my teeth and tighten my grip on her wrist. Her other hand weakly claws at her chest. "St—stop…!" I tell her. It doesn't help. I don't think she's really conscious. It's all I can do to hold on to her thrashing hand.

Suddenly, Mattie's there, reaching over the rail to help. He grabs her wrist, his hands enveloping mine, and he pulls. Together, we heave her over the bar. She doesn't stop struggling even when she's safe. It's like she's wrestling for control of her own body while simultaneously being stabbed with white-hot pokers. Matt holds me back, watching grimly as she clears away the snow with her body. _It'll do no good to hold her down if we can't control what's going on inside her,_ he tells me gently. I don't answer, just stare in horror as Lauren melees and screams, a high-pitched, unending siren reflecting the pain she must feel on the inside.

Finally, she pants desperately, both hands clutching at the front of her shirt, twitching. Matt releases me, and I go forward to kneel beside her. Her eyes are closed, and she grits her teeth. "L—Lauren…?" I voice tentatively.

"…'M okay," she chokes out after a minute, barely moving her lips. Overwhelmed with relief, I grab her in an embrace, shaking and near-tears.

"You almost fell!" I squeak out.

"Well…," she mutters, "…I didn't…. Did I?"

"No," Mattie confirms, kneeling on the other side of her and awkwardly patting the top of her head. He's never really been sure on how intimate to be around others, except for me, because he knows I don't care. But Lauren wraps her arm around his neck and pulls him in the hug.

"…I suppose I should thank you two," she says, untangling herself from us after a minute of silence. "Without you guys I'd be…." She trails off, gesturing with her head towards the edge of the roof.

"S'okay," Matt and I say at the same time. Both of us can't help but stare at her crimson stare, not any less threatening the second time around.

"It was Teacup, wasn't it?" she asks, her expression suddenly darkening.

I nod solemnly, and she scowls. For a while, she stays with that expression. I assume she's talking to him in her head, but I don't want to ask.

"Come on," Matt suggests after a while. We all get up and go down the stairs, silently walking. We turn into the hall of the infirmary and immediately know something's wrong. A couple nations are outside the door, wielding guns. Finland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein have rifles and Sweden, America, England, Prussia, and, surprisingly, Austria, have pistols. And then there's Russia, holding his silver pipe. And then China with his wok. And then behind everyone is Louisa with her crossbow. I guess they gave her back her arrows.

"You don't want to do this," Switzerland persuades coldly to someone in the room. "You're outnumbered. Just give up." And then, in the corner of his mouth, he hisses to Lichtenstein, "I'm serious, get out of here!" She glances up at him with an innocent smile and shakes her head.

"I've come too far to give up now," says a voice I've never heard before. It's a heavy masculine voice, slightly tinted with a Russian accent. Looking through the open door, a man stands above Dimah, Alex, Alina, and Vera, and he points a gun at Rin, who lies still on the bed, her eyes closed.

"You'll go through the wall if you hurt my lookalike~!" Russia chirps, smiling cheerfully while emanating his purple aura ten times stronger than usual.

"He's my son," the man responds with enough venom to kill twenty men. "I'll do what I wish with him."

"Just don't…!" Dimah growls weakly. "They're just going to kill you…." His voice is slurred and quieter than normal. Matt and I exchange one glance and grab one of Lauren's arms each as she realizes he's hurt and starts towards him.

"What's this I hear?" asks the man. "Pity? I was under the impression you hated me."

Dimah doesn't answer. I hear Alex moan, "Please. Don't hurt her. _Please_." The man mutters, "Shut up," at him and Alex cries out in pain.

"Do that again," America calls. "I _dare_ you."

"Do you?" he inquires calmly. "Any one of you pulls a trigger and the last thing I do is pull mine."

"N—no…!" from Alex. I can't tell if Rin's unconscious or quietly listening, but she's in no shape to resist. Alex must have fought until he couldn't fight anymore; he struggles against handcuffs chaining him to a cot across the room. I know he fought back. The man must have been surprised when Alex didn't stay hurt for very long. And Dimah is obviously hurt. I don't know why he's taking so long to heal. But he's also cuffed to a cot.

Lauren struggles violently against us, tears streaming down her face. "Di—Dimah!" she cries hysterically.

"Lauren…!" he calls weakly.

"Oh?" from his father. "What's this? Have you found love, my son?"

I can hear the snarl from him. "Don't touch her."

"Wouldn't dream of it, my boy," he answers. I notice that his cold tone never leaves no matter what he says.

"Get out of here," England demands in a no-nonsense tone with an intensity I haven't experienced yet.

Lauren immediately screams, "_NO!"_ and fights harder than ever.

"I concur," says the man, an amused quality hiding under his accent. "Send her in."

"Abso_lute_ly not!" England retorts angrily.

"It _would _be a shame to waste poor Rin's life, wouldn't it?"

"Please, don't!" Alex begs before coughing several times.

"Let me go," Lauren pleads.

"Three…," the man starts.

"Please, _please_…!"

"Two…."

"_Let go of me_!"

"One…."

Lauren breaks from our grasp with a sudden strength she didn't have before. She plows through the nations and into the room. Matt has to hold me back, because I try to chase after her.

"Good," hums the man approvingly as Lauren whispers hysterically to Dimah, cupping his face in his hands as he lies on the ground in obvious pain, a good-sized dent on this side of his forehead.

"_Lauren,_" England says sharply. "Get back here _now._"

"I'm afraid it's too late for that," the man says almost cheerfully.

"It's too late for you," America says. "Just back down."

The man smiles, reaching up with his free hand and taking off a pair of sunglasses. Without lowering the pistol, he nods respectfully towards America. "I've always been keen on finding you," he admits. "How were you born with so much power? Did you know when you were formed you'd be the world's superpower?"

He gives a cold laugh. "How 'bout you stop talking and start surrendering?"

"The stereotypical American answer," he muses. "A shame my little helpers never did their jobs right." He shifts his weight on his other foot while casting a dark look at Alex and Rin. "By the way, Louisa, how are you, dear?"

She growls and answers, "Better now, no thanks to you," at the same time Prussia over protectively demands, "Don't talk to her."

"Ah, Preußen," he says, like he's reminiscing on something. "Tell me. How is it you survived after your country was legally dissolved?"

"What's it to _you_?" he sneers.

"It means _everything_,"he says back, suddenly fierce. He almost looks…desperate. "All those years of research, I've devoted myself to studying you nations for _too long_ to fall short. _How_ are you all _alive_?! Why were you select few granted immortality while the rest of us are left to rot?! This is the question that _will_ be answered to me _one way or another!"_ He looks insane, feral, his face contorted into a snarl. I don't blame Lauren for shifting away from him as much as she can without drawing attention to herself.

"We're not invincible," Canada interjects. As soon as the sentence leaves his mouth, he regrets it.

"Nor is darling Rin," he reminds. "And I'm getting impatient."

"You shoot her, we shoot you," Switzerland insists. "And then you die without your answer."

"How about we all just disarm ourselves and have a little chat?" he asks innocently. "And then, I'll take my children and leave."

"You're not taking _anyone_ with you," America says firmly.

"You're the one obsessed with government; I still have custody over them."

"I _am_ the government," Russia says sweetly. "And I have proof of child abuse. I'll keep them until they can support themselves."

Dimah's father takes a few deep breaths, obviously seething. I see Lauren slowly stand up behind him. She nods at Vera, who stands horrified in the corner. Vera inhales deeply, and I see her fear turn to righteous anger. Silently and swiftly, she comes up behind her father and starts trying to wrestle the gun out of his hand. "_You—will—not—hurt—anyone—ever—again!_" she shouts. He pushes her to the side. Lauren starts trying to help. But before she can get there, he pulls the trigger with the gun still pointed at an unconscious Rin. She makes a wild dive. Several more shots are fired, this time from the nations. Louisa fires an arrow with a funny-sounding _twang_!

"_NO!_" Alex screams.

Dimah's father collapses to the ground. Vera backs away, horror and disgust taking over her again. Blood seeps from several bullet wounds all over him. Switzerland confirms it: "Dead." Then, he says, "Didn't shoot him in the right spots. It was this." He points at the lone arrow sticking out of the dead center of his chest. "Went right through his ribcage. Nice shooting, Louisa."

"Everyone's okay?" England asks.

"Rin—? R—Rin?" Alex insists hysterically, struggling against the handcuffs.

"She's okay," Austria settles. Then he frowns and looks over at Lauren. She has a slight smile over her lips, using the wall to hold herself up. "…Lauren?"

Lauren looks up, and people flinch because of her red eyes again. Then she looks down again. Giving a breathy laugh of triumph, she whispers, "No one hurts my friends…."

England nearly falls over. "L—Lauren…."

I don't understand what's going on, and then I see it. The single bullet wound on her stomach where blood oozes out, falling from her body like raindrops.

"_LAUREN!" _Dimah shouts.

She looks up and gives him a smile through pain-filled eyes. "I—I'm sorry," she whimpers. Then she winces and slides down the wall.

"Lauren?!" England calls hysterically. He runs to her and grips her shoulders. "Lauren, look at me…!"

She trails her eyes on his emerald ones for a minute, and then looks back at Dimah. Russia fishes the key out of the man's pocket and unlocks his cuffs, and Dimah's by her side instantaneously, one hand covering her wound and the other supporting her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. "Lauren…!"

"I'm sorry," she whispers again.

"No, no, no, shhh," he comforts. "There's nothing to apologize for. You saved Rin's life."

"I—I'm sorry th—that we d—didn't h—have more t—time…," she tells him, her breaths catching in painful-sounding gasps.

"N—no," Dimah says, stroking her face. "Don't apologize for that; it's not your fault…."

"Sh—she needs help…!" England says desperately, tears falling unashamedly down his face. "S—someone, g—get…!" He can't finish his sentence: he doesn't know what to do. He must suspect that she's beyond saving. The thought strikes at me. I can't move; I'm frozen with horror and grief. She—she's going to be okay, she _has_ to…!

"It's okay, Arthur…," she comforts, cupping his face with one of her bloodstained hands. "Don't worry about me…."

"Lauren Cohen, don't you ever think you aren't worth worrying about," he tells her almost sharply. She only nods, and England holds her hand.

"I—Issa…?" she calls. I break out of my trance with slow, hesitant steps, stopping to kneel down by her head. She lifts the corners of her mouth at me. "How are you?" she asks amiably, like this is nothing out of the ordinary.

I want to scold her, to yell at her, _why did you take that bullet!? Why are you leaving me?!_But this…. This might be… my last chance to… to talk to her…. "I—I'm okay," I whisper, pushing her bangs out of her eyes.

"You're gonna be okay," she says firmly.

The words leave my mouth before I can stop them. "No, no, this is all wrong! I—I should be telling _you_ that! I should've—"

"Issa," she interjects. "There's nothing you could've done." She coughs violently. A trickle of blood rolls from the corner of her mouth.

"Please don't go," I beg.

"I don't want to…," she whispers. "I don't have a choice…." She hacks again, and more blood appears. Her chest heaves profoundly up and down. "Can you guy promise me something?" When we all agree without a moment's hesitation, she requests, "Just… please… don't f—forget me…."

"How could we ever?" Dimah asks, wiping the blood away from the corner of her mouth. "Someone as strong and as beautiful as you isn't easily forgotten."

She smiles sadly. Her breaths increase. "I—I… l—love…y—you…." She tries to pull Dimah closer, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling herself up: she's trying to kiss him one last time. But before their lips meet, her eyes glaze over and she goes limp. The red of her irises fade to her normal shade of brown, and she stares at the ceiling without seeing anything.

Dimah gives a broken sob and cradles her limp body in his arms, burying his face in her shoulder. England covers his face with his hand and silently weeps, his body shaking violently with every cry.

Strangely, throughout this entire time, I haven't shed a single tear; I just watched in horror. I can't bring myself to cry. I can't make myself move. I can only stare at Lauren's mangled corpse—….

The word brings me up short. Corpse. Lauren's corpse. Her dead body. _Dead_. My friend… dead…. The lively girl who persuaded me out of the tree, made an effort to conserve my emotions, cried when I hurt myself, sincerely _cared_ about me is… dead….

I try to push myself to my feet, but I don't end up succeeding; I fall back down on my rear. With sudden, jerky motions, I scramble to my feet and run. I don't make it very far. Mattie blocks my way, enveloping me in his arms. He sits me against the wall with him and just holds me as I struggle until I go limp. I look up at him, and he looks down sadly at me. For a few seconds, that's all we do. Then, I burst into tears and bury my face in his sweatshirt. He pets my hair gently, murmuring that everything's going to be okay. But it's not, it's not okay, how can it be okay?!

This isn't happening. There's no way Lauren Cohen is dead. I'm going to close my eyes, and then all of this will be over. She's going to be here, laughing and smiling and doing impressions of different countries with a blanket and making England's body do weird things while France takes pictures and—and—….

I open my eyes. I still see countries panicking. Lichtenstein and America try to comfort a distraught England. Russia and Switzerland try to pry Dimah off of Lauren's lifeless remains. I try to remove myself from Mattie's arms. I have to get away before I end up being sick.

_Shh, it's okay. Just calm down…._

I don't answer—I—I _can't_ answer—I can't believe it, I j—just _can't believe it_—

_Come on,_ he thinks to me softly. _Let's go somewhere quieter. _ And without waiting for my consent or denial, he steers me by my elbows down the hall to the living room. France looks up from his spot on the couch. "_Cher, _what's—?" **(Dear)**

I shake my head vigorously. Matt sits me down next to him and mumbles in France's ear. He looks startled and grief-stricken. "Lauren— she's—" I shake my head and cover my ears. I will not hear that word. I refuse to even think it. France wraps an arm around me and hugs me as I cry. I think he's crying, too. Or trying hard not to, at least. I've never seen him cry. I've never seen England cry, either. So many things have changed about all of them. The brokenness and pain is just too much to bear. Somehow, I have to blame Germany for all this. He started this. And I'm going to finish it if it kills me.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dimah's POV

"Father," I say in disbelief.

He smiles coldly, and his eyes look dangerous. He fingers a pistol I've seen only a few times. "Hello, son," he tells me. "How have you been?"

I don't answer. I don't have to. The door is kicked open, and there stands Italy's lookalike. Alex, I think his name is. For a second, he stares at Father. Then he sputters, "Y—you!" like he's seen him before.

"Ah," hums Father. "Hello, Alex. It's been a while."

Alex charges with a yell, swinging a long, thin sword with a fancy handle. Father dodges the attack, spinning around him and pushing him down. "You never were quite as good as Rin at sword fighting," he comments.

"Don't talk about her!" Alex yells, going in for another few swings, which Father easily blocks.

"Why not?" he questions innocently. "I'm here to pay her my respects, after all."

"No you won't!" He ends the sentence with a shout, slashing madly with the sword. Father breaks the sword with a well-aimed punch, and he knocks the remains out of his hand. Then, with a superhuman speed, he trips Alex and makes sure he bashes his head on the sharp corner of a table.

"You're out of practice, Alex," he says. He sounds disappointed, like he was looking forward to a good fight. Then, he grabs the back of his shirt and lifts him to his feet, and he does the same to me. "Let's take a walk." Then, he adds to a trembling Vera, "You can come if you want, dear. One more never hurts." Translation: _Come or else._

_I'll be there soon. Where do you think he's going? _

_I—I don't know. He said something about Rin…. Isn't she in the infirmary…? _

_Good thinking. I'll be there. _

Russia isn't there by the time we get there. He pushes us in, and Alina stands up from her spot next to the Rin girl, who remains unconscious. Panic flutters across her eyes. Vera grabs her shoulder and blocks her with herself. I look over at Alex. He must really have been concentrating on healing: his wound is almost faded completely. He attacks Father again.

Father turns around quickly, aims his pistol at him, and shoots without hesitation. Alex goes down, letting out a cry of pain and clutching at his shoulder. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that," Father hisses. He takes out a pair of handcuffs, forces Alex's hands behind his back, and chains him to one of the cots. Then he does the same to me. I'm too afraid to resist. And I'm not well yet.

"Put the gun down," a voice says suddenly. A group of nations is here, pointing various weapons at Father. He doesn't. He points it at Rin.

"N—_no_!" Alex cries, trying to struggle. I can see blood dripping down his entire arm.

"You don't want to do this," Switzerland, I think, growls, aiming a rifle at him. "You're outnumbered. Just give up." Then he whispers angrily to the young girl nation beside him. Lichtenstein, Russia calls her. She rebelliously refuses to whatever he's trying to get her to do.

"I've come too far to give up now," Father barks.

"You'll go through the wall if you hurt my lookalike~!" Russia sings. Father glances down at me, lifting an eyebrow. He knows exactly what a lookalike is. I don't know how he does, but I can see it in his eyes.

"He's my son. I'll do what I wish with him," he dismisses. I feel Russia's rage grow, but he holds his ground.

"Just don't…!" I tell him. "They're just going to kill you…." Russia's certainly considering it.

"What's this I hear?" asks Father mockingly. "Pity? I was under the assumption you hated me."

I do. I _do _hate him. I just don't want for anyone to get hurt, no matter who they are. I remain silent. Alex begs, "Please, don't hurt her. _Please_."

Father mutters menacingly, "Shut up," and he kicks at Alex.

"Do that again," America interjects, holding a 9 mm. pistol with both hands. "I _dare_ you."

"Do you," he responds, sounding like he doesn't care in the slightest. "Any of you pull your triggers and the last thing I do is pull mine."

"N—_no!"_ Alex protests urgently.

Suddenly, I hear Lauren. "Di—Dimah!" she cries, obviously distraught. I look through the doorway. She's being held back by Canada and Issa, but fighting them as hard as she can. The sight tears at me.

"Lauren…!" I call.

"Oh…? What's this?" Father muses, studying my expression, and then Lauren's. "Have you found love, my son?"

"Don't _touch_ her," I snarl, giving my arms a thrash so that the handcuffs cut into my wrists and jingle against the metal of the cot.

"Wouldn't dream of it, my boy," he smiles evilly. I can _see_ the evil plan growing in his head.

England doesn't turn around, but he orders sharply, "Get out of here."

"_NO!"_ Lauren screams, struggling against them desperately. _No, _I think. _Go away, Lauren. _I just want her to be safe.

"I concur," Father interjects. "Send her in."

"Abso_lute_ly not."

He takes a half-step towards Rin, who remains incapacitated. "It would be a _shame_ to waste poor Rin's life, wouldn't it?"

Alex tries again to free himself, but his shoulder isn't healing as fast as his head did. "_Please,_ don't!"

He begins counting down. "Three…."

"Let me go," Lauren begs.

"Two…."

"Please, _please_…!"

"One…."

"_Let me go!"_ And with a final heave of her arm, Lauren breaks free of their grip. Wasting no time, she weaves between the nations blocking the door and punches the ones who stand in her way, and she embraces me. "You're okay?" she whispers hysterically.

"I'm okay, all right? Get out of here."

"You know bloody well I'm not doing that!" she responds sharply. "What did he do to your head?!"

"Just hit it. I'll be fine soon. Get away from here," I plead. She doesn't , though.

"_Lauren._ Get back here _now_," England demands angrily.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that," Father answers, smirking. I feel my upper lip pull back in a snarl. He'll do anything to make me suffer.

"It's too late for _you_," America says. "Just back down."

Father takes off his sunglasses and smiles at America. "I've always been keen on finding you," he confesses. "How were you born with so much power? Did you know when you were formed you'd be the world's superpower?"

America gives a cold laugh. "How 'bout you stop talking and start surrendering?"

"The stereotypical American answer." He puts his sunglasses back on. "If only my little helpers did their jobs right." He gives a pointed look at Alex and the unconscious Rin. Then, he looks back up at the white-haired girl in the back, holding a crossbow instead of a gun. "By the way, Louisa, how are you, dear?"

She bares her teeth and snarls, "Better now, no thanks to you," at the same time Prussia orders, "Don't talk to her."

"Ah, _Preußen_," he says. "Tell me. How is it you survived after your country was legally dissolved?"

"What's it to _you_?" he scoffs.

"It means _everything_." He suddenly sounds angry. "All those years of research, I've devoted myself to studying you nations for _too long_ to fall short. _How_ are you all _alive_?! Why were you select few granted immortality while the rest of us are left to rot?! This is the question that _will_ be answered to me _one way or another!"_ Lauren lets out a small, muffled whimper and edges closer to me.

"We're not invincible," Canada's hardly-audible voice says through the silence that follows. I see he has his arms around Issa, who struggles feebly, like she wants to break free and help, but she's afraid to.

"Nor is darling Rin," he reminds. "And I'm getting impatient." Alex lets out a small, strangled noise of protest that he doesn't acknowledge.

"You shoot her, we shoot you," Switzerland repeats. "And then you die without your answer."

"How about," Father raises his eyebrows harmlessly, indicating sarcasm, "we all just disarm ourselves and have a little chat. And then I'll take my children and leave." Lauren tightens her hands around my upper arm protectively, glaring at him.

"You're not taking _anyone_ with you," America interjects.

"You're the one obsessed with government; I still have custody over them."

"I _am_ the government," Russia chirps. "And I have proof of child abuse. I'll keep them until they can support themselves."

Father seems desperate. He's running out of excuses and comebacks. Without warning, Vera, whom I forgot about, jumps on his extended arm, staying just out of reach of the pistol, and she tries to force it from his fingers with a battle cry of, "_You—will—never—hurt—anyone—ever—again!"_ Lauren jumps up and places herself in front of Rin right as he fires in panic. He pushes Vera aside, and, he's about to shoot her, when several more bangs sound. He immediately collapses to the ground with a resounding thud. He's… dead. The bane of my existence, finally gone…. I should be happier….

"Dead," Switzerland confirms after checking his pulse. "Didn't shoot him in the right spots. It was this." He points at the single arrow sticking out of his chest. "Went right through his ribcage. Nice shooting, Louisa." The girl looks slightly proud of herself, but also slightly guilty.

"Everyone's okay?" England asks.

"Rin—? R—Rin—?" Alex asks in a panic, hyperventilating.

"She's okay," Austria confirms. He looks over at Lauren, who hasn't moved from the spot she threw herself in. "…Lauren?"

England sucks in a gasp. "L—Lauren…."

She gives a weak but victorious laugh. "No one hurts my friends," she whispers.

I'm confused for a minute. Then my heart drops into my stomach. When he shot, it would've hit Rin, but it didn't… because she put herself in front of it.

"_LAUREN!"_ I yell.

"I—I'm sorry…," she murmurs. Then she grimaces in pain and collapses.

"Lauren?!" England asks hysterically. He runs forward and supports her head with his hands. "Lauren, look at me…!" She does for a few seconds, and then she looks at me. I don't know how Russia got the key, but he unlocks me, and I scramble on my hands and knees to her. I pull her practically on my lap and tangle my fingers in her hair. I don't know about this wound; it's bleeding an awful lot…. B—but everything is going to be okay, she'll heal. I—it's just a flesh wound…!

"I—I'm sorry," she whispers to me again.

"No, no, no, shh," I tell her. "Don't apologize. You saved Rin's life." But how can I be happy about that? I don't know Rin. Her life hasn't affected me before, so why should it? Why did she do that for a girl I don't think she's even talked to for very long?!

"I—I'm sorry th—that we d—didn't h—have more t—time…," she says, her eyes tearing up.

I wipe my thumb under one of her eyes even though nothing's fallen from them yet. "N—no, don't apologize for that; it's not your fault…."

"Sh—she needs help…!" England calls hysterically over his shoulder to the other nations. "S—someone g—get…!" He trails off, looking at her stomach, and he wipes at his eyes.

"It's okay, Arthur…," she says softly, stroking his face with one hand. "Don't worry about me…."

"Lauren Cohen, don't you _ever _think you aren't worth worrying about," he interjects firmly. She only nods, and he grabs her hand.

"I—Issa?" Lauren calls. In a few seconds, she hesitantly pads into the room and kneels by her head. She looks more shocked than anything. Lauren looks up at her and smiles sadly. "How are you?"

Issa takes a few shaky breaths before answering, "…I'm okay."

"You're gonna be okay," Lauren tells her, her voice shaking.

"No, _no_, this is all _wrong_…!" Issa interrupts. "I—_I _ should be telling _you_ that! _I_ should've—"

Lauren cuts her off. "Issa, there's nothing you could've done…." Her sentence ends in a violent cough that sends blood seeping out of her mouth.

Issa gently strokes Lauren's bangs out of her face. "Please don't go," she pleads.

"I don't want to…," she responds. "I don't have a choice…." She coughs again, and more blood appears. The scariest thing to me is when blood comes out of someone's mouth. I've never had it happen to me, but I bet it's the most painful thing ever. "C—can you guys promise me something…?" We all agree as soon as the words leave her mouth. "Just… please… don't f—forget me…."

I let out a laughing sob and wipe the blood away from her lips with my thumb. "How could we ever?" I whisper to her. "Someone as strong and beautiful isn't easily forgotten…."

She gives me a small, sad smile. "I—I… l—love … y—you…." I start to mouth the words back to her again when she reaches up, trying to kiss me. I lean down. Before our lips touch, she falls back, no breath left in her lungs.

I give a broken sob and hug her body. She's so still…! I place my ear over her heart, trying desperately to make out the slightest heartbeat, but I can't. She's…. She's… _dead._

For a few minutes, I sit there and cry, Lauren sleeping limp in my arms, her blood all over my arms and hands and…me. I'm covered in her blood.

_Dimah, you have to let go of her,_ Russia tells me.

"No," I manage out loud. He kneels next to me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

_Come on. Let's get you cleaned up._

"I said no!" I refuse.

_We can't leave her there. _

_I'm not leaving her! I—I'll just hold her until—_

_Until she wakes up?_ He thinks that remorsefully. We both know she's not going to wake up…. Switzerland tries to help Russia, pulling gently on my arm.

"No," I tell him, shifting so my back is to him.

"We're just going to clean her up a bit," he tells me in his emotionless voice.

"No, I'm not leaving her!"

"You don't have to leave. Just let us clean the blood off her."

_Come on, Dimah. It's for the best. _

I take in a few shaking breaths and loosen my hold on Lauren. Before letting go of her completely, I study her. Even in death, she's the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. I choke back a sob at her eyes: they're brown again. For a second… I hoped Teacup would save her. H—he can do that, I think…. But her eyes are hers. Her own brown eyes stare blankly at the ceiling without seeing anything. Gently, I slide her eyelids over her eyes and lay her back on the ground with painstaking carefulness.

Russia helps me up and guides me away, keeping a comforting hand on my shoulder. I'm almost out the door when I stop, rage filling me.

_Calm down, Dimah. It was an accident._

But it wasn't. No matter which way you look at it, my father meant to murder someone. He hoped it would be Rin, but it_ just so happened _it was my girlfriend.

_Don't. There's nothing you can do about it. He's dead, too._ Russia puts both hands on my shoulders and tries to pull me out of the room, but I throw them off me and charge. Before anyone can stop me, I kick the corpse of my father, kneel down, and start punching him as hard as I can. Russia pulls me back kicking and screaming. "THIS IS _YOUR FAULT_!" I howl at his body. "WHY DO YOU _ALWAYS_ _TRY_ TO MAKE ME _MISERABLE_?! I WISH I KILLED YOU _YEARS_ AGO!"

I flail and scream as my nation carries me out of the room. I wonder why I'm not screaming in agony; maybe because the overwhelming hate I feel isn't towards Russia. I kind of wish it _is,_ though. And then maybe I'll die too. That would be preferable.

Russia stops at a door, and he puts me in the room behind it. Then he sits me on the bed and tells me to just let it all out. I have no objection with that. For a long time, what seems to me like hours, I just sit hunched over on the bed, pulling on my hair, sobbing grossly while Russia pats my back and tells me everything is going to be okay. I know it's not. It can't be, not with Lauren gone.

I can't decide whether or not I'm happy about my father's death. I mean, of course, I'm relieved he can't hurt me or anyone else ever again. But after all that, I'd really like the satisfaction of killing him myself. I let the fantasies of watching the life drain out of his eyes consume me for a minute. Then Russia expels them from my head. He keeps doing that; every time I try to think anything bad, he chases them out of my head.

Finally, I sit up and wipe the wetness from my eyes. _Feel better?_

_No._

_Want to go hit something?_

_Sure._

He takes me out of the room to some sort of gym with a lot of punching bags. _All yours. _ I nod in thanks and unleash my rage out on the nearest punching bag. I beat the crap out of it until I can't feel my knuckles anymore. Then, breathing heavily, I sink to my knees and bury my face in my hands.

She's gone. Lauren's gone. I'm never going to see her again. Never going to hold her hand. Never going to kiss her again. Laugh with her. Try to protect her.

I close my eyes. That's what got her killed. It's my fault. I should've _done_ something. I should've tried harder to get out of those handcuffs. O—or, tried harder to keep her out of the room. If she wasn't in there, she wouldn't have put herself in the way.

_Don't think like that. It's not your fault. _

I just don't know what to do. All I know is she's gone, and I can't avenge her. Shouldn't people usually happier once their loved one's killer is dead?

**I APOLOGIZED IN ADVANCE**

**I almost cried writing that. LETS HAVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR ART AND SOUL FOR COMING UP WITH THAT IDEA Sorry for the sarcasm I already chewed her out. **

**QUESTON ONE: are you mad at me I already apologized**

**QUESTION TWO: How well can you aim, either with a gun or bow and arrow? **

**RQ: Look to your left. The first thing you see is your defense against zombies. What is it?**

**QUESTION FOUR: How far would you go to find immortality? **

**QUESTION FIVE: When someone counts down from three, do you wait until they reach one, or do you do what you're told as soon as they start? **

**I'M SORRY x 1000000000000000000**


	23. Three Days Since

**Hey guys, look, it's me trying to be productive but most likely will fail miserably! :D**

**I'm glad that most of you aren't mad at me. ^_^ (Charlotte and Rashka, Roxburry Black, Siri Catriona, I'm Crying Here, sorry, I'll make it up to you guys, promise) THE ONES WHO ARE NOT MAD enough to hurt me : caset290, CelticGirl7, AkitaNeruWolfLover, tealgirl713, fireflame1801, ClaireFeradeNyan, hetaliaforever123, Art and Soul, el18m, and legolasgreenleaf77! (you guys will have it made up for you because I made you sad)**

**WITHOUT FURTHER ADO**

Dimah's POV

"Come on, Dimah," Vera pleads. "It's been three days. You need to eat something." She keeps trying to force a spoon into my hand.

Has it been three days already? Huh. Time flies fast. I've been immobilized since that day, no desire to do anything. For three days, I've been lying in bed, crushing the life out of a pillow, occasionally remembering why I'm so sad and crying. I have her blanket with me, the one she called hers. The big fluffy black one with cat hair permanently embedded in it. I can't let go of it, even though I think I might be allergic to cats.

"I'm okay," I mumble at her.

_You've been a vegetable for three days. _

_Nngh._

"No you're not," Vera contradicts. "Come on. You must be hungry."

"I'm not, though." And with that blunt lie, I roll over so my back is to her.

_She's right. You need to do something. _

_No I don't. I don't need to do anything. _

_I'll make you._

_Be my guest._ Russia is annoyed at me. I can feel it. Sometimes, I'm just so sick of him. I wish I was angry enough to break the connection.

_Don't act like I never get tired of you being in my head,_ he tells me sternly. She told me once it was hard to imagine Russia ever being stern, but he is sometimes. It's not as scary as it is when he's full-out mad, but it's up on that list. But right now I don't care. I don't care what happens to me.

Russia sighs. _You can't stop living just because she did._

Irritation prickles through me. _Don't be so blunt. _

_Shutting everybody out won't bring her back. You have to accept it, Dimah. She's gone._

I press my hands over my ears. _Stop. Stop it. _

_Get up and do something,_ he orders.

For a few more seconds, I lie there. Then, with a reluctant sigh, I push myself into a sitting position. Vera gives me a watery smile. It takes effort I don't want to use to lift the corners of my mouth into a smile that doesn't reflect what I feel. Vera insists I eat what she brought: a bowl of what she calls "Okroshka." It's a cold mix of vegetables, potatoes, eggs, and some sort of meat. I bet it would be better if my mouth didn't already feel like it was full of glue. Vera says Ukraine showed her how to make it, and that Ukraine says to feel better.

After I finish, Vera hesitates by the door. Then, she spins back around, tears in her eyes. "…I think it was my fault," she confesses. "…W—what happened to…."

I furrow my eyebrows. "Why would it be your fault?"

"I—I was what made F—Father start shooting, remember? I—If I just stayed in the corner, sh—she m—might still… be… here…," she explains.

I shake my head, getting up and putting my hands on her shoulders. "No, Vera, it's not your fault. It's nobody's fault but Father's. H—he would have shot one way or another… and… she was there…." _If only I tried harder to keep her from being there…._

Vera nods and hugs me tightly, and then she leaves. I change into a black T-shirt and jeans. For a second, I just stare at the dried blood on the bottom of the white shirt I was wearing. Then, biting my lip, I throw it across the room and leave.

A sudden nagging feeling enters my brain. Father had seen Alex before. Is it safe to assume he knew Rin and that other girl, Sydney, too? I need answers. What if he was the one who hurt them?

I go to the infirmary with slow, robotic steps. I pause outside the open door, looking at where the bloodstain on the floor was; someone cleaned it up. I tear my eyes away from the floor with a hard swallow, and I look up at the black-haired girl and the red-headed boy. Alex is asleep on a spinning chair. Rin, on the other hand, is awake, just sitting there, staring at her hands.

I clear my throat, and she looks up at me. "O—oh. H—hi," she manages. I notice several tubes sticking out of her arms and some going under the hospital gown she's wearing. She looks like she has to sit straight up; I heard one of her scars that came back was right across her torso. That must be it.

"Hello," I say.

Rin bites her bottom lip and tries to avoid looking at where the bloodstain was. I do, too. Just before I try to break the awkward silence by asking about my father's actions, she blurts, "I'm sorry." She takes a shaky breath. "A—about Lauren."

"Don't apologize about that," I dismiss. "You were unconscious the whole time."

"I—I know, but, if I—"

"There's nothing you could have done," I say firmly. "And that's not really why I'm here."

Rin looks surprised. "O—oh. What can I do for you?"

I hesitate; do I really want the answer to this…? "…How did you know my father?"

She lets out another small, "Oh," and her eyes flicker over to where his bloodstain was. "H—he…." She trails off.

"D—did he do that to you?" I ask, gesturing at all the cuts on her body.

"Well, he didn't hurt me much physically. Most of this—"she also gestures to the many wounds on her, "happened when I went after Germany. He did do this…." Rin gently runs a finger from her right clavicle diagonally down, stopping at her heart. "He didn't like to physically hurt me. He just called me names and stuff. Alex and Sydney, though…."

"Well… I've heard serial killers and sociopaths usually go for one particular type of people," I muse. "He hardly went for my sisters. I'd say he didn't like to hurt women. But maybe blonde women are his exception," I explain. "I mean, my mother was blonde. Blonder than me and my sisters, anyway."

"…What about her eyes?" She pauses. "I mean, if it's not too much to ask."

"It's okay," I dismiss. "Her eyes were violet."

"Your little sister's?"

"Well, she's my half-sister, and she has blue eyes, but her hair is browner then mine and Vera's.…. Maybe her mother. I'm pretty sure her eyes were blue, and she was blonde. She left him, so, maybe that's why he's not fond of blonde, blue-eyed females…." She remains silent for a few seconds. Then I continue with, "…He was gone a lot. I just always assumed he was at some bar."

She gives a half-smile. "That's not entirely untrue."

I sigh. "…I'm glad he's dead. I only wish I could have killed him myself."

She doesn't respond for a while. One of the monitors off to the side, the one watching her heartbeat and blood pressure and stuff, starts beeping a little faster. "…I could have. I had the opportunity to kill him, and I didn't." She takes a deep, calming breath, but the monitor continues beeping faster. "That's why Lauren's death is my fault."

I want to agree with her. I want desperately to have someone alive to blame. But blaming Rin for not killing a killer before he killed won't bring her back. "Y—… you couldn't have known what he would have done…."

"I knew he was capable of it," she admits. "I knew what he could do…."

"No," I insist. "Everyone I've seen since it happened blames themselves. It's no one's fault but my father's."

"How many—"

"Well. You, my sister, and me," I admit. "And Russia, but he doesn't count. He's not human."

"Technically," Rin muses as the beeping slows down to normal, "aren't the lookalikes not human? I mean, humans don't heal as quickly as you do, don't have telepathy, et cetera…."

I shrug. "I guess not. We're a whole different species."

"I guess I'm human again, then," she says. "Wouldn't be in this condition if I wasn't."

I nod. For a few seconds, we don't say anything. Then I decide I should check up on Issa and England; they both must be as devastated as I am. "Well…," I say, "…I should probably go…."

"Uh…," she interjects. "I have a question…."

"Uh-huh?"

"What was his name?" she asks.

"My father's?" I ask. When she nods, I answer, "Dmitri Petrakis."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Issa's POV

It's been three days. Three days since the first death in this war. Three days since my best friend died. For three days, I've sat here in the living room where someone can keep an eye on me. For three days, I've sat here and tried not to cry, tried to be strong, tried to uninstall my emotions so this wouldn't be this hard. It's been seventeen days since Lauren coaxed me out of the tree. Twenty-four days since this all started. But three days since Lauren died.

Figures this would happen to me. I mean, yeah, I've had a few friends in the past. I have known what it's like to have friends before all this happened. I had a few friends in elementary school, but they've drifted away from me, and my best friend moved to some place in Kansas because of her dad's job. Then I hit eighth grade, and the bullying started.

It's just hard, because the one person I truly opened up to, besides Mattie, dies. I finally decide to trust someone, and then she leaves me.

As you might guess, I'm struggling a little with myself. I'm angry at Lauren, I'm angry at Dimah's father, I'm angry at everyone for telling me it's okay when it's not. I'm mad at myself. If Lauren had enough time to jump in front of the bullet, so did I. I could have died for her. That way, everyone can go home; Germany and Japan wouldn't have what they want, and then everyone's safe; the world keeps on turning.

_Stop thinking like that._

I sigh and glance over at Matt, who sits in a chair doing paperwork of his that has piled up since he came here. He doesn't even look up. He's in a bad mood today.

I look over at the others in the room: Spain, Romano, Germania, Prussia, Louisa, Zack, Josie, and America. I haven't seen much of England or Dimah since The Incident. That's what I've been calling it since it happened. I mean, there have been a lot of incidents since this happened, but The Incident takes the cake.

I've been able to see other nations' coping methods since The Incident. America's, to me, is the most out-of-character of them all: he just sits there silently, staring at his feet, thinking. I don't think he has or ever will give an "Everything's gonna be okay because I'm the Hero and I'll make it better" speech; even he must realize that's insensitive to everyone who's close to Lauren.

_Was._ It would be insensitive to everyone who _was_ close to Lauren.

Anyway, I'm pretty sure England's been sleeping this entire time, France has been wandering around, Italy's been making lots and lots of pasta. Spain is sad, yeah, but not as confounded as some nations are. Romano hasn't been making snippy or rude comments recently. Austria, you guessed it, plays the piano. Hungary cleans. I haven't seen much of the Baltics or Poland, and the Nordics-plus-Sealand left two days ago. Helped… y'know, clean up a bit, give their condolences, and then they left.

Over by the window, America clicks on a radio, and he changes it to an American station. Hard to find in a German-speaking country. I hear the last few notes of some song I don't recognize, and then it changes to an all-too-familiar tune.

"_I heard there was a secret chord, that David played, and it pleased the Lord, but you don't really care for music, do ya?"_ sings a male voice. I don't know who it is; lots of people cover this song. But the song itself hits me like a freight train: this was Lauren's favorite song. She often played it on the piano, singing along loudly. "_Well, it goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift, and the baffled king composing hallelujah…."_

Tears welling in my eyes, I leap to my feet and sprint out of the room. _Issa…!_ Mattie thinks warningly, and he gets up and starts chasing me. The flashbacks start with a _bang_ in my head so loud I thought for a second it was real. The worst part about this whole thing is the way she died: bullet to the stomach. Just like my dad. It's the same nightmare all over again.

I'm not sure exactly where I'm heading, but Matt catches me before I get there. "You have to stay where we can keep an eye on you," he reprimands me.

"I'm a big girl; I can take care of myself!" I retort, blinking back the water in my eyes.

"You're suicidal and emotionally unstable," he reminds, trying to be gentle with his voice. But I can feel his frustration with me. Inside, I'm seething, too.

"My best friend just _died_," I snap. "I can be alone for _five minutes_, can't I?!"

He raises an eyebrow and answers in our heads. _You wanted to hurt yourself._

There's no point denying it. _So what?_

_So, that's bad, and I won't let you._

I just glare at him for a minute. _Why do you care? I mean, I'm just a human. _

_Just a human who can destroy the entire world. _

_That aside,_ I clarify.

He thinks about that one for a minute. I can see he's trying to think of the good times we've had, but all that stands out in his mind are memories of me misbehaving: running from him, trying to save Josh. Running away to try to save England. Running away after Zack was kidnapped. Coming back with a random girl I met on the streets. Cutting myself. All that happy stuff.

_I feel protective of you because you're unstable,_ he answers at last, even though I already pieced together the answer.__

_So you feel sorry for me._ I pull away from him. I _hate_ pity. And I feel so naïve: I can see in his head, and pity love is written all over. It just took me _this_ long to figure it out.

He grabs my wrist so I can't run away again. _You know that's not it._

"_No,_" I say out loud, "that _is _it, and you can't deny it!" I struggle, nothing on my mind but a subconscious loop of _get away from me_. I can feel the connection breaking. My cheek burns, but it's not bleeding. So does the inside of my arm. I try to calm down, but the grief and sadness and anger and frustration is overwhelming me. I want to make him stop, run away so I can't want him dead, but he has a firm grip on me. He's stronger than most people think. _You can feel it too, can't you?! _I think. _The connection is breaking! Do you want that?!_

_Maybe I do!_ he thinks back. This is just a little small thought in the back of his head, but I still hear it. _Maybe I want you to hurt. Maybe I want to teach you a lesson. _But in the front of his mind, he answers directly to me, _No, why would I want that?!_

His subconscious thoughts are the final straw. I let out a stifled cry as the searing pain increases tenfold. I feel blood dripping down my face, and I roll up my sleeve in a weak attempt to spare the cloth. My head throbs, and for a second, I feel his headache. Then he's gone, out of my mind.

I grasp my arm, breathing heavily. I'm not sure what to do, it just hurts, and maybe he'll just leave me alone and let me bleed out. With each heartbeat, a stream of blood fountains out of the cut on my arm. I can't decide if I want to leave my hand down and let me bleed faster, or try harder to keep from flowing by elevating it. Like I said, I can't think straight, and there's so much blood—was there this much before?! Somewhere through the haze of panic, I examine the deep crimson of my blood; it looks so normal, yet it has the power to destroy everyone. Even Canada.

He's still there, just standing there, watching me freak out and bleed everywhere. I scream thoughts at him, torn between wanting his help and wanting him to walk away and not tell anyone. I let tears fall down my face as I struggle with the pain and confusion and anger and sadness and—and—I—….

"Issa…?" asks a voice. I hardly hear it over the pounding of blood in my ears. I look up down the corridor towards the living room. It's Zack. _No, leave me alone, let me die,_ I think desperately. He comes closer, hand outstretched. "What's—?" He stops when he notices the blood. Then he comes faster. I stumble back, trip over my own feet, and fall over. Then, I push myself up and try to run away.

_Pathetic,_ I think. _Stupid, coward…._ Those three words loop in my mind, faster and faster. _You don't deserve to live!_

Zack grabs the back of my shirt and takes me by my shoulders. "Why are you just _standing_ there?!" he exclaims at Canada. Then he shakes me a little. "Calm down! You're gonna be just fine!"

"Let me go, let me _go_!" I protest, trying to escape. He has America's super-strength, all right.

"_No,_" he says firmly. "I'm _not_ just going to let you die. Come on, we're getting you help." I keep babbling objections and excuses over and over as he drags me towards the living room, one hand keeping me from making a break for it, and the other holding my left arm over my head so it's elevated. "Issa needs help!" he says upon entering the room.

I continue to contradict everything and yank fruitlessly on my arm. My head keeps fogging and I'm having trouble standing, but I refuse to accept help from anyone. Prussia comes and scoops me up. I attack him, using all the energy I have. He drops me on the cot across from Rin. He tells Zack to hold me down while he gets someone who knows how to do stitches and stuff.

For a few minutes, Prussia leaves. Zack keeps his hands on my shoulders, pinning me to the cot as I struggle. He keeps telling me to calm down, that everything's going to be okay, that I'll be fine, over and over again, and I'm sick of him, sick of him _lying_ to me, I'm sick of _everyone_ lying to me, just sick of _everyone_—!

Prussia comes in, Lithuania trailing. He takes a deep, calming breath, and rummages through the cupboard for medical stuff. And then he grabs my left arm with a grip stronger than usual—or is it just my strength weakening? _Pathetic, stupid, coward. Pathetic, stupid, coward…._

I remember the numbing shot being the worst part, and it's not any different this go around. When I try to pull my arm away, Lithuania says… _something_. I can't—… I can't understand him….

He makes the stitches and inserts the IV, securing it with medical tape. Then he gets to work on my face. Prussia has to jump in to keep my hands away, and Zack keeps my head still. I can't stand the restriction, and memories of when I was first kidnapped come flooding back into my head, as scary as they were when they happened, and I start panicking, moving as much of my as I can. Just my feet.

Lithuania's hands retreat, and he says something in Japanese. Prussia barks something at me, still holding my wrists in an iron lock. I can't understand them, I—I can't speak Japanese anymore…!

"Answer them," Zack says in English.

I shake my head. "I—I can't—what's that word—"I search my tired and freaked-out brain for the word in Japanese for "I can't"…. "_Dekimasen,_" I say at last, trying to control my breathing.

"'_Dekimasen' ga nani?!" _ Prussia asks. **(What do you mean, "I can't"?)**

"I _can't_—!" I blurt. I can't think straight, it hurts, and why am I not dead yet?!

"Can't what, speak Japanese?" Zack asks.

I nod and stop my half-hearted struggling to just breathe. I can't stop crying, though. Too many emotions running through me. I grasp a handful of the blanket I'm lying on and close my eyes. "_G—gomenesai,"_ I gasp at Lithuania and Prussia, and even I'm not sure if I'm referring to how badly I struggled, or to how much trouble I've caused, or the fact that I can't speak their language anymore. **(I'm sorry)**

For a few minutes, Prussia and Zack argue quietly. I hear my name a few times. Lithuania just awkwardly stands there. I wipe tears from my eyes with my right hand. Finally, Prussia says to me, "_Nemurinitsuku," _with a little smile he must think is reassuring; it's not. He seems sad and tired. I'm sad and tired, too. **(Go to sleep)**

When I just stare for a few seconds, Zack tries to translate: "He said—"but I cut him off with a small, "I know what he said." I don't know what to do; I don't want to sleep. I want to stay up and cry. But I also really want to sleep. And I know I'll never be able to with people staring at me. But I don't want any more trouble, so I turn my head to rest on my right cheek and close my eyes. After a few seconds where I try to listen in and pick out words I know, but all I hear is a soft, "_Neteimasen, ne?"_ from Lithuania and a chorus of "_Sou,"_ from Prussia and Zack. **(She's not sleeping, is she? She's not)**

For a long time, no one talks. I think Lithuania and Prussia leave, and Zack talks with Rin and Alex in Japanese in hushed tones. I feel weighted down, wishing desperately to be free of the pain. I'm sure you've heard grief described as a black hole before, and I'm here to tell you it's true. I feel like I'm shrouded in darkness.

A weight drops down at the end of the cot by my feet. I curl my legs in close to myself and put a hand over my face. My left arm hurts too much to move it. I didn't lose as much blood this time. Zack touches my foot. "Hey," he says softly.

"Go 'way," I mumble. For the first time in a long while, I hear the words come out effortlessly in English.

"That's mean," he pouts, trying to be funny. "I _did_ just save your life."

"I didn't _want_ you to save me," I retort angrily, glaring at him through my fingers.

He leans in towards me. "Your eyes are blue again," he comments. I close my fingers, hiding my face again. He seems to find this amusing, and he chuckles. I kick him. However, I'm weaker than normal, and he doesn't even flinch. "You've been increasingly aggressive lately."

"You're mocking me," I point out from behind my hands.

"Am not," he protests. I don't have the energy to argue with him, so I remain silent. "So. Your face. On a scale of one to ten, how badly does it hurt?"

"Leave me alone," I tell him.

"Well, I've never been mauled before, so I just wanna know," he says. I peek through my fingers—they're still bloody, by the way—and lift an eyebrow at him. He's asking the same questions from that day, the day after England got captured.

"You think you're so cute and funny, but you're not," I snap, my voice cold. "Just leave me alone."

"No," he says simply. "Talk to me."

"No!" I protest. I don't have to talk to him. I don't have to talk to anyone anymore. I'm free. I don't have to try to work my feelings into someone's mind when there's no way they'll understand it. _I_ don't even understand half of my feelings.

"Okay, then." And then he shifts up until he's lying beside me.

I flip over and push him off, using as much power as I can. It works, but I end up irritating my arm wound, and it starts bleeding again. I sit up and cradle it with my other arm, getting blood all over my front. Zack pops back up, laughing slightly. "That wasn't nice!…. Hey, you should be lying down…."

I lie back down on my right side, facing the wall. My fingers tighten around my left wrist.

"…Give me your arm," he says quietly but firmly. It's a no-nonsense tone that I can't fight when I can actually think slightly clearly. I sit up and hold my left arm out palm-up. I feel one of his hands on my wrist, the other by my elbow, gently. He walks over to the cupboard and looks around for a few seconds, and then he comes back with a folded-up piece of gauze and some medical tape. He painstakingly puts it over the slight flow of scarlet crimson and secures it with the tape.

"…'nks…," I mutter.

Zack sits next to me, not touching me, just sitting there. After a few seconds of silence, he looks over at me. "Do you really want to die?" he asks, calmly, quietly.

I look at him out of the corner of my eye for a second. After a few seconds of hard thinking, I give a single nod.

He remains silent for a few seconds. Then he slides his hand under my injured one, slowly inserting his fingers in the spaces between mine. I just kind of leave my hand limp, not daring to move at all.

"…You've been through a lot these past couple of days," he says. I nod again, a lump growing in my throat. My bangs fall in my eyes. "It's gonna be okay," he murmurs soothingly, slowly stroking the top of my hand. "You'll get through this."

I don't realize I'm crying until the saline makes my cut hurt. I turn my head away slightly, but don't move much more than that; I don't even breathe for a few seconds. I'm not going to call attention to myself. If I wipe at my eyes, he'll know I'm crying. If my breath catches, he'll know.

The door opens. I flicker my eyes up to see England. He hasn't brushed his hair in a while, and he's wearing the same clothes from three days ago. I advert my eyes from his, too. "You're okay?" he asks me. I nod and pull my arm away from Zack's, cradling it again. With a sigh, he sits down at the foot of my bed. "So."

"…So," I repeat.

"We had a fool-proof way to keep you safe, which only ended up hurting you worse. We can't trust you on your own. Now you can hardly understand anyone," he says tiredly. "What are we going to do with you?"

I give a half-hearted shrug, closing my eyes in a weak attempt to stop the tears. Instead, they burn under my eyelids. I don't know what they should do with me. Apparently, I'm too valuable to lose. It must be becoming a chore for someone to make sure I don't kill myself; I think I'm the only one trying to.

With another sigh, England tells me, "Go to sleep. You've lost quite some blood." When I try to protest, he adds, "Don't argue." He might as well have yelled at me; the disappointment in his voice is far worse than anything he could have shouted. I finally wipe at my eyes with my sleeve and lie back down, shifting so my nose is almost pressed against the wall.

The door opens and closes again, signaling England's exit. I feel Zack's hand on my back, gently patting me. Right now, I don't find it very comforting; more annoying than anything, really. I don't want anyone near me. I don't want anyone to touch me. So I give my shoulder a shake, and he finally gets the message: the door opens and shuts one more time.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sydney's POV

The noise from the gun makes me flinch. After a few seconds, I open my eyes and blink a few times. I'm alive. No searing pain. No pain at all. I look up. There's a bullet hole in the wall right above my head. _You missed,_ I think, slightly annoyed.

_He didn't miss,_ Germany thinks. His thinking voice is slightly strained. I look up at him, curious. His eyes are his normal shade of blue. It takes me a few seconds to comprehend this.

_You're…._

He gives a slight, victorious laugh. "I did that. I moved the gun." He sounds tired. In the back of my mind, I hear Cutter violently struggling against Germany's grasp. He's going to break free soon, I just know it. Germany ignores this and helps me up. "Let's go. Let's get out of here."

But with loud, indignant roar, Cutter breaks free off Germany's mental grasp and shoves me back down onto the pile of glass shards. _**You really think I'll go down that easily?!**_ He thinks menacingly.

Germany struggles against him. _It's MY body! _

_**Life's full of disappointments, isn't it?**___Germany's head looks down towards me on Cutter's command. His eyes are solid gold again. I let my gaze fall, hope deflating out of me. He gives a reluctant sigh. _**Well, I guess I can't kill you…,**___he muses.

_I don't even care at this point…,_ I mumble.

_Well, I do! You're the only outside communication I've had for months, and I'm not letting you die because of him!_ Germany thinks aggressively, still struggling feebly against Cutter's overpowering mind.

_**Sweet…,**_ he ponders. _**You two still need a punishment for letting her boyfriend and the old nation escape.**_

_He's not my boyfriend._

_**Whatever.**_ He starts thinking of different tortures. There's not much he can do to Germany, considering they share that body. Which means he's going to use me for leverage against him. And, sure enough, he lifts me by the scruff of my neck and drags me out the door. I blindly follow, watching the thin, snakelike cuts along my palms from where the glass cut in fade into my skin. It's interesting, this process. It's almost as if I'm not human anymore.

Cutter pushes me into a room full of syringes and other medical things. He grabs a particularly deadly-looking one and turns to me. I don't know what it does, but Germany does. _No,_ he protests. _Don't you dare._

_**Relax. It's just a sedative.**_ Cutter grabs my arm and injects the so-called sedative into it, right into the fleshy part by my armpit. It stings like nothing else, but I don't really care. I don't know what he's planning to do with me, now that I'm all sedated and stuff, and I don't care.

There's a slight ringing in my ear that grows louder by the second. It's annoying. It's like someone blowing a whistle right by my ears, never stopping, never breaking for breath. My head is foggy, and I don't really understand why…. I guess this is the drug working its magic….

I understand why Cutter did this to me all of a sudden: it's so I can't talk to Germany. Or so he can't talk to me, whichever works. I slowly collapse, blinking liberally, trying to see straight. I hear myself inhale and exhale loudly; not much else makes it past that incessant ringing.

For a few minutes, I hear Germany's voice, going in and out of tune like a broken radio. He's begging hysterically, calling my name, saying, _please don't go, please don't make her go,_ over and over. I'm not sure where I'm going. Insane, maybe.

Cutter picks me up and tosses me over Germany's shoulder. I feel my hair tickling at my nose, getting stuck between my teeth, irritate my eyes when I blink. Maybe I should cut it. Yes, short hair sounds good. Less to take care of.

Shadows fall over my eyes, and Cutter puts me down. I can't sit straight up, only lie on the floor where he left me. I think I hear the door close again, but I'm not sure. All I know is that it's dark and cold and…. Wait…. The end of my pinky finger is touching something soft….

Gathering up my energy, I raise my head a little, trying to make out through the blurriness and darkness what's right next to me. It's a dog. Three dogs, I see, once I look around. I remember Germany telling me he has three dogs, Aster, Blackie, and Berlitz, I think…. A golden retriever, a black Labrador, and a German shepard, I'm pretty sure…. Blackie's easy to figure out, she's the black lab…. I think Berlitz is the German shepard, which makes Aster the golden retriever…. I could be wrong, but I'll just call them those names for now….

The three dogs come up to me sniffing me loudly in my ear. Aster licks my hand, and it tickles. I lift the corners of my mouth a little. "Hi, doggies."

I look up more. The door is still open. Or, at least, that's what I see at a first glance. I'm behind a barred door, and there's a soldier-person-guy standing watch. There's a doggy door over there, so the three canines can leave whenever they want. I can't. I didn't notice this at first, but I have a thick chain around my ankle, attaching me to the wall.

"Hi," I call to the guard. I don't care that he works for Cutter; he has a nice face.

"…I don't speak Japanese," he says in German.

"Oh, okay," I respond in that language. It feels kind of funny, to speak in my home language after so long. "What's your name?"

"…I'm not supposed to talk to you." I notice he doesn't want to turn around when he speaks; he's uncomfortable.

"But you are," I say. "C'mon, be a rebel. How old are you?"

"…You're strangely happy," he comments.

"My name's Sydney," I persist. "And I'll be sixteen years old on October the eighth."

"...They call me Joel. And I'll be twenty on August the tenth," he says reluctantly.

"You're young. Why're you working here, Mr. Joel Sir?" I ask.

"Uh… you don't have to call me 'sir'; I'm just a private…." He scratches at his ear, and, with a little sigh, he adds, "Look, I can't be seen talking to you, I'll get fired…. Or worse…."

"'Or worse?'" I echo. "That's harsh." For a few minutes, I absentmindedly scratch Aster under the chin. Then, I push myself into a sitting position, leaning against the wall. I stare at the back of his head. Joel's black hair is cut short. He's lanky, and his ears kind of stick out. But his uniform is clean and crisp and ironed, and his rifle is shining. This guy's ambitious. But he's also nervous; I don't think he likes his life choices. Well, I decide to make him even more anxious.

I move my leg back and forth, jingling the chain noisily. Over and over again. Persistently. Loudly. Finally, he turns. "What're you doing back there?!"

"Getting your attention," I answer truthfully. "Did it work?" He sighs again, gives a blunt, "No," and turns back around. "Aw," I say. "Darn it." I sigh over-dramatically and start whistling an old lullaby. I don't even know why. It's just the first thing that popped into my mind. I start to sing it. "_Guten abend, gut nacht. Mit rosen bedacht. Mit Näglein besteckt, schlüpf unter die deck."_ **(Brahm's Lullaby/ Guten Abend, Gut Nacht. It's an old lullaby. More popular in English-speaking TV shows than you think. Trust me, you hear it, you recognize it immediately. I'd hum it for you, but…. :I TRANSLATION: Good evening good night. Bedecked with roses. Adorned with carnations. Slip under the cover) **

"_What_ are you _doing_?!" Joel exclaims.

"Singing! Is that a problem?" I ask innocently.

"Yes! You're making me uncomfortable!"

"How so?"

"I—I don't know!" His voice raises an octave hysterically. "I don't know, I just don't think I'm cut out for this—this—"

"For this 'Keeping an innocent girl captive because the insane immortal boss said so' job?" I suggest.

"Yes—_no!_" he answers.

"I'm getting mixed signals. Work with me here, Mr. Joel Sir."

"Don't call me that, and stop talking to me! You'll get me in trouble!"

I shrug and continue stroking the soft, silky yellow for that belongs to Aster. "You're awful defensive."

"Yeah, well, you're awful snarky," he retorts, fingering the stock of his rifle.

"…Is that standard-issue?" I ask, pointing at the gun.

"…Yeah."

"You don't like it," I point out. He doesn't answer. "…You don't like weapons, period."

"Please stop."

"What'm I doing wrong?" He doesn't answer. "Look, Mr. Joel Sir, I don't wanna be here, you don't wanna be here. Why don't you just leave?"

I see I've hit a nerve. "Stop talking."

"Oooh, pressed your buttons, did I?" I giggle. I lie down, putting my head next to Berlitz's. He licks my face. I make a face and pull back. "Ah! Mr. Joel Sir, Berlitz licked my face."

He doesn't answer. He doesn't acknowledge I said anything at all. So, over the course of a few hours, I say random and pointless things to Joel and he ignores me or tells me to stop talking.

I don't remember falling sleep until I wake up, curled up in the middle of the three dogs. They're affectionate. Maybe it's because I'm so like Germany. Blackie has her head on my stomach, contentedly sleeping. All of them are sleeping, so I don't move.

I hear footsteps. Then, in German, "How was she?" in a gruff voice I don't recognize.

"Sir, she kept trying to talk to me for the first few hours, then she fell asleep, sir," Joel's voice reports, trying to be professional. I'm pretty sure he's talking to someone of power, someone of a higher rank than he is.

"Any escape attempts? Signs that the drugs were wearing off?"

"Sir, no, sir."

"Good. Go get some rest." There's a silence in which I'm pretty sure Joel salutes the man, and then his footsteps signal his exit.

I raise my head. "Bye, Mr. Joel Sir!" I call. He doesn't answer. He walks away. "…Hmph," I mutter, lying my head back down. After a few minutes, I lift it again and look at the new guard. "Hi, what's your name?"

The soldier, obviously older and more professional, doesn't respond. He clears his throat, maybe in a silent message for me to stop talking, and sits down on the metal chair Joel was sitting on.

"…Going for the strong and silent angle, then?" I inquire. "Okay, I see how it is."

For a few more hours, nothing of interest happens. The guards get switched every six hours, maybe. I wouldn't know; I don't have a clock, and the soldiers that do don't answer me. I get to see Joel twice more. Also twice more, someone comes in and gives me a shot of that sedative. I dunno what it is; laughing gas in injective form, perhaps? Either way, I get loopy and talkative and less worried about things that I would normally care about.

I think they put something in the food, too; either way, the potatoes tasted like crap.

Finally, Germany's body appears. He gives a shaky salute and dismisses the guard, and then, once he's gone, he unlocks the door to the cell and enters. I know it's Germany because Aster, Berlitz, and Blackie go nuts, nearly tackling him in their joy. After giving a weak laugh and fending off their attack of affection, he comes over to me and unlocks me ankle cuff, and then he hugs me. "Sorry I didn't come earlier; I didn't get another chance like this to get him under my control."

"S'okay," I respond. "Nothing really happened, except I made friends with your dogs. They're really sweet."

"I know," he smiles. Then he gives a determined nod. "Okay. Let's leave."

"Where are we going?" I ask curiously.

"Austria," he responds. "I'm turning myself in."

"It's not your fault, though," I protest.

He stays silent for a few seconds, and then insists, "We should go before he comes back."

"Good idea."

Germany takes my hand, closes his eyes, and starts walking down the corridor, gradually going faster. Then, all of a sudden, everything stops. Words appear in thin air. Germany doesn't find this out of the ordinary. He scrolls down a list of country names until he reaches Austria. Then, in a flash of light, everything falls. I squeeze my eyes shut and clutch at his sleeve.

When the whooshing sound dies down, I hear a few gasps, the sound of someone dropping something made of glass, and one cry of shock. Then, someone grabs my shoulders and yanks me away from Germany, and someone else tackles him. "No!" I protest. "Don't hurt him!"

"Sydney, you're okay?" that one blond country—England—asks, brushing dirt from my jacket.

"I'm _fine,_ but don't hurt him, don't hurt Germany!" I plead.

"Come on, love, you've had a shock. You're just not thinking straight." He starts leading me away. I look back, and several nations—America, Russia, Switzerland, and China—are all tying him up. Forcefully. They're hurting him.

"N—no!" I beg again, tugging on my arm.

"Shh, it's okay," Spain, I think, encourages, helping England coax me along. "Alex and Rin will be happy to see you."

Their names make me stop struggling as hard. "B—but—!"

"Let us take care of it; he can't hurt you anymore…."

"He's not the one hurting me! It's Cutter, it's always been Cutter! It was him from the start!" I explain. I can tell they don't understand, but they don't care. They keep pushing me away. I panic. "_Please_, _listen_ to me! Germany's innocent, it's _Cutter!_"

"S—Syd?" asks Alex's voice.

"Alex, you have to believe me, Germany's not the bad guy, it's _Cutter_!" I exclaim. He grabs me and hugs me tightly. I hug him back, but I'm still pleading hysterically. "_Please_, don't hurt him!"

"C—calm down, Syd, you're okay now," Alex murmurs, petting my greasy hair.

"Y—you believe me, don't you?!"

"Yeah, of course I do," he answers. "Why would you lie about something like this?"

"Exactly!" I exclaim. I look around, trying to control my breathing. Everything in my line of vision is still blurry and out of focus, but I'm pretty sure I'm in that infirmary room. Issa, I think, is looking back at me curiously. I see her cut hasn't healed—why is that? It's been a long while since that happened…. I look on the other cot and try to peel myself out of Alex's grip. "R—_Rin!_"

She's lying on the cot with several tubes sticking out of her, a purple and white hospital gown over her clothes. The thing that gets me is her complexion; she's not supposed to be that pale.

Alex won't let me go. "Shh, it's okay, Rin's okay," he keeps telling me. "Look, you see that computer deal-y-bob? It shows her heartbeat. See it? Perfectly normal." And then he explains about the lookalike thing, how Rin can't hear Japan anymore, and that's also why she's so banged up.

England comes back and starts doing a check-up on me. Yes, I'm breathing right. Yes, I can move all my limbs. Yes, I am sedated. Yes, I am starving, and quite literally on that part. Yes, I am in shock. Yes, I'm still convinced Germany is innocent. Sure, I'll eat some pasta.

"Can I see him?" I ask after he makes sure I eat something.

"…That's not a good idea…."

"He's perfectly safe!" I protest.

"How do you know?"

I sigh. "What color are his eyes?"

England looks surprised. "What do you mean by that?"

"I _mean_," I answer, not bothering to keep the sass out of my voice, "what color are his eyes? Gold or blue?"

"Gold?" he echoes. It's not his answer; he's just not sure as to why his eyes would be gold.

"_Yes._ If his eyes are gold, he's not safe and needs a good slap in the face. But if they're normal, he's okay."

"What _are_ you going on about?!"

I groan at his stupidity. "I've _told_ you already! Can I _please_ go see my nation?!"

"_Fine_, then!" he exclaims. "Come on." He adds to Alex, "Can you stay and make sure she doesn't…." He trails off, giving a slight glance towards Issa. He also says something to her in English; I caught the words "You" and "Sleeping." She's supposed to be sleeping, perhaps? Either way, she gives him a baleful look and lies down.

"…Yeah, sure," Alex says, albeit a little reluctantly. I give him a little reassuring smile which he returns.

They put Germany in a cell behind a big door thing that only opens with computer commands. They let my into the room before the cell doors, so I can see him, but can't go further than that. I tilt my head over to try to catch his eye color.

Germany keeps his head down slightly, blinking rapidly and breathing heavily. Every so often I catch a gleam of gold, but they're blue for the most part. He's chained to the wall very thoroughly. Someone got a good punch on his face. I bet it was England; he seems entitled to it after when he was trapped there and tortured.

He looks up at me. "Hello, Sydney," he says wearily.

I hold one of the bars and gaze back at him sadly. "You have to fight him. Don't let him win."

He takes a few more shuddering breaths before responding. "I'm trying."

"No. Don't _try_. You _have_ to succeed. You _have_ to."

He lifts his head and smiles at me, a soft, grateful smile. I'm the only one being nice to him. The only one giving him moral support. The only one who actually knows. For now. I'm going to tell them, and then they'll help him too. I'm sure they will.

But with a sudden violent tremor, Germany stiffens. He keeps his eyes wide open, so I don't miss it when the gold trickles into his icy blue irises until it blocks out everything else. I gasp and let go of the bars, backing up a little bit.

"_**Oh, Sydney,**__" _he says in Cutter's smooth voice. "_**What have you done?**_"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**MEHHEHHHHHHH**

**If youre wondering why I groaned in despair its because I can fEEL THE END OF THIS STORY COMING UP AND I DON'T LIKE IT ONE BIT NO SIREE I GUESS I'LL HAVE TO REWRITE THIS ENTIRE SERIES TO FEEL JOY**

**QUESTION ONE: do you like vegetables? ***

**QUESTION TWO: if you were a serial killer (slash psychopath looking for people to hurt) what would be your "type" of people?**

**RANDOM QUESTION: do you have a special blanket? If you do, describe it. **

**QUESTION FOUR: Who can you always rely on to comfort you?**

**QUESTION FIVE: when's the last time someone blamed you for something?**

**Okay, question one seems random bUT ITS NOT I SWEAR the okroshka stuff Vera gave Dimah is food from Russia or Ukraine or something and its like ALL VEGETABLES I WOULD NOT LIKE IT or so Wikipedia says I saw a picture on Wikipedia Wikipedia is good for research I don't care what my teachers say**

**OKAY OKAY OKAY I love you all so much you've been so supportive and I know I'm not the best with updates and sometimes the chapters aren't so good and you waited so long for a crappy update some times and I just want to say sorry and I love you all so much (/w\ )**


	24. Reunion

**Hey guyyyys. =w= How you doin babiesssss **

**THE AWESOME AWARDS GO TO: AkitaNeruWolfLuv, OtakuChan88, Cyanide Kilo, Siri Catriona, CelticGirl7, Kitana Lunara, tealgirl713, Art and Soul, fireflame1801, Charlotte and Rashka, and hetaliaforever123! I ruv u all so much okei bai**

**I DON'T OWN HETALIA OR DOCTOR WHO**

**All right all right, I just kinda wanna explain my characters a little bit, because I feel some of them I don't think I really conveyed who they are… :I I spent long time thinking about Josh's and Zack's personalities, deciding do you guys know how hard it is to make a character I mean seriously **

**Issa Pryce: (I think I've done a good enough job with her, but here she is again) Shy, but loud when something offends her. Low self-esteem, sincerely believes nobody will care for her even though evidence is written right in front of her face. (also I'm not trying to make her sound whiney so sorry if she does)**

**Zack Richards: (I spent a LOT of time thinking about him) He's one of those jocky nerds. I didn't put this in, but I made him part of his school's basketball team. He's kind of bluntly honest, but he doesn't mean it. Not good with kids. I think he'd try to out-sass them and get their feelings hurt. More serious than not; sometimes he'll say something seriously and it'll be funny. **

**Josie Richards: (Josie is a character of a person who reviewed asking to be in the story and I said ok so if she doesn't like how I picture her oh well) I picture her as a strong girl. Popular, sporty, a bit nerdy at times about chemistry. Favorite sport is soccer, and she's really passionate about it. Obnoxiously over-protective of Zack because she's about three minutes older than him. **

**Josh Davies: (I spent a lot of time thinking about him, too) He's one of those jocky jocks. (jock is a fun word fyi) Like those meatheads who go FOOTBALLLLLLLL all the time. I mean, yeah, he's smart and cute (at least in my mind I mean he's ENGLADNS lookalike how ugly can he be) but he's kind of obnoxious. Likes to pull pranks and stuff. Completely the opposite of England. **

**Dimah Petrakis: He was built up his entire life to be a killing machine. I like to think his dad was going to make him join his little "kill the nations" club. But despite all that, he's compassionate and patient. I think if it wasn't for Vera and Alina he would be exactly how his father wanted him to be. **

**Jia Li Xing: (I just thought of her last name right then and also I haven't thought about her much) She's artsy and shy. She sticks to her best friend Mei Huing (also just thought of that now) like glue, even though Mei is her exact opposite with her outgoing personality. Jia Li's kind of a slacker because she would always rather be drawing. She's, like, REALLY shy. Social anxiety big time. **

**Harvey: (he's an orphan so he doesn't know his last name) He's actually the one who's the most like his country. However, he's not a womanizer like France is at all. He's like France but permanently set in "Helpful and emotionally-supportive big brother" mode. He's not too good at academic stuff, but that's not from lack of trying. Excels in medical stuff. He has a girlfriend named Jaquline Pontmercy (yes I used Les Mis's Marius Pontmercy's last name got a problem bro cause I do les mis ruined my life but I love it so its okay whatever broseph) Anyway, Jaquline likes to tutor him, or at least try to. (She, by the way, hasn't seen him since he got kidnapped and thinks he's most likely dead aw poor Jaquline he's okay) **

**Rin Hiroko: (she doesn't know her last name either but I do so ha) Quiet and observant. Not pushy at all, unless it concerns Alex and Sydney. Good at gymnastics and sword fighting. She taught herself by watching Mr. Nameless's (I know I named him but you guys know him better as Mr. Nameless so there) followers practice. She learned the parkour stuff before she was taken, and she just never forgot it. **

**Alex Velini: (I just made up his last name my spell checker doesn't like it) aggressive and distant. He's observant when he's not angry. I made him thinking he'd be a potty mouth, but I'm not good at that stuffs, so. Weapon of choice: 9 mm. pistol. You should have seen him the first time he shot a gun; it hit the target beside the one he was aiming at. He's actually not that good of a shot even now that he's had practice, but that doesn't stop him from trying (cough and acting like he could gun down everyone in a hundred-yard radius with three rounds cough oh and did I mention he's kinda cocky cough cough) It's a tie between him and Dimah on my favorite characters. ^_^**

**Sydney Wainwright: (ok it took me like an hour to think of a last name for her I hope you like it insanityaintoptional-chan) BEAST. She can take a serious beating. Also she is really sassy and sarcastic, although she doesn't show it very much. Always comes out swinging, but she would prefer people use their words before coming out and punching someone in the face. **

**Lauren Cohen: Has a magical talking cat-demon-thing I don't even know. She is property of Art and Soul-chan (but I also own her a little bit too because I write mein story with her you know). Very mysterious and hyper, but she knows when to stop when needed. All of that's a front, though, because she's only in Austria with them because she killed herself (and then her magical-demon-cat thing saved her because if she dies so does he it's really complicated don't ask). If found, please return to me or Art and Soul-chan because she is sad and needs cuddles. Also she and Dimah are soulmates don't even try to disagree I will cut you actually I won't sometimes I wonder if I should make them break up but then I think mmmmm better not and the ship sails on**

**I think I've made my point **

Issa's POV

Lauren's funeral takes place on February the 21st, exactly one week after her death. I guess that makes it thirty-one days since this all started. January 21st was the first day; it's been exactly a month. I know the dates now, the dates of every event. Took me this long to figure it out.

We hold the ceremony in the infirmary. Zack explained that they decided to hold it here because it seems right. She died here; she should be laid to rest here. I guess it makes sense.

I've been healing a lot faster this time around. Everything's all scabbed over, and my energy is coming back. England won't let me leave, though. I don't even really want to. I don't care. I haven't cared about anything for a long time. Lithuania, the only nation patient enough to deal with me and the only one I don't care gets near me, seems worried sick about that. Zack said Liet thinks I might be depressed. I don't care. Liet seems to be sprouting seemingly-random diagnoses, like, Zack said he thought I suddenly developed selective mutism, and then, when I felt too sick to eat, anorexia. I don't care, though. I really don't.

After all this has happened, I kind of have to admire Liet's bravery about me. I mean, when he came here, I kind of did make it hard for him. He was already scared out of his skin, and I just kept stalking him and showing up in random places behind him and just basically freaking him out more than he already was. Then he saw my little mental breakdown when Lauren died. And my three days of staring at the wall with lifeless eyes. And then I almost died again, and he helped even though that was the last thing I wanted. And now nothing he can say will make anything better. It wouldn't if I understood him, either. But still he comes by every so often to check up on me. Make sure I haven't ripped out my IV tube, or scratched my cuts to make them bleed or something (I've done both at least once since I broke the connection).

But I'm not ready to trust him. He obviously just feels sorry for me. I don't need anyone else to do that. I do it enough by myself.

England's kind of mad at me. Well, to be fair, he's mad at everyone these days. But he won't come near me unless someone who doesn't speak English wants to talk to me and no one else is there to translate. Even then, I don't do much to ease his nerves: I sit and pout and pick fights. For the first time in my life, I'm showing my emotions without filtering them first, and it feels _good_.

I do regret picking fights with everyone after they storm away. It's childish, stupid, and disrespectful to everyone else. I know I'm not the only one hurting, and it's selfish to act this way. Thing is, I realized this today, right before the funeral. Otherwise, I would've stopped earlier.

Of course, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking about how this is common knowledge, how I'm being so egotistic. Like I don't _know_ this already. I guess it's a side-effect of grieving. Or maybe it's just a side-effect of being me.

So, Switzerland, America, Russia, and Dimah bring in her casket. France kind of wanted to do it, but apparently, Dimah insisted. This is one of the most formal things I've seen all the countries do just because they want to. Someone even convinced Romano into a suit. The Nordics and Sealand show up, too. Sealand comes and sits on my bed next to me, and he pats my right hand. "I'm really sorry, Miss," he says quietly. "I know what it's like to lose friends." I don't say anything; just glance up from my lap at his big, sorrowful blue eyes and give a small, grateful smile. "I know we don't know each other very well, but if you want to cry, I'm here for you."

I give a shaky nod, glancing up again, and then I look quickly down again. I can't look anyone in the eyes. I can't look up, period. Because I know they'll just be there, sitting, all dressed up in black, solemnly. Serious as a shark attack. And then there's gonna be her coffin, sitting in the back of the room, top half open to reveal her head and torso. Zack told me what she'll be wearing: a black dress that she wouldn't normally want to wear. She shouldn't be wearing that. She should be wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, like she normally wears. Nobody should have put make-up on her cold, still face, especially now that she can't protest against it. Nobody should have weaved flowers in between strands of her brown hair. Not that kind, anyway. She hates that kind. She'd want yellow ones. As close to sunflowers as they could have gotten. If she _had_ to wear a dress, she'd want a yellow one, too, not that black thing. She told me, that at her sister's funeral, they wore yellow because it was her favorite color. Yellow was Lauren's favorite color, too. We should be wearing it now.

I feel underdressed. Rin kind of is, too, but that's not our fault; we have to wear the hospital gowns. Sydney came back a few days ago, and she's all cleaned up. She refused to wear a dress, but she settled with black slacks and a white shirt. Alex is wearing the same thing. Everyone else is really dressed up. Even Belarus. I didn't think she cared. I didn't even expect her to come.

Canada didn't come. I don't even think he's in Austria since our fight.

England comes up to the front. I assume he's saying a eulogy, or something, but it's in Japanese, so I can't understand it. But he chokes up halfway and has to sit back down. I stare at the bandage covering my arm, eyes wide open, unblinking. If I don't blink, the moisture that would be coming out as tears is used up to keep my eyes wet. The fact that I don't understand half of what people say makes this a lot easier.

A few more people have a tribute for Lauren Cohen, including Dimah, France, Josh, Sealand, and Rin, who speaks up from her cot.

America looks at me after a few minutes of silence. "…Do you have anything to say, Issa?"

I bite my lip. Take a deep breath. I have a lot to say, actually. But do I _want_ to say them…?

I nod.

"…A lot of you don't know exactly what happened when I met Lauren. All I told you is that she helped me. Well, I guess Canada kind of knows because he could see into my mind, but he never brought it up…." I clear my throat and shake my head, almost as if I'm trying to shake the excess thoughts out of my ears. "I was about to jump into the river. The fence was pretty stable, and the only thing really tall enough to get me over it was a tree. I chickened out before jumping. Well. Almost chickened out. Lauren found me clinging to the tree crying and sobbing, 'I don't want to die.'

"She saved my life. I think I would have done it, despite all that. She got me down, and we talked. I thought she could handle the truth, so I told her everything, and she wanted to help. She did help. Came here and immediately snapped England out of his insanity.

"So when she told me later about how she was here…. For a second, I hated her." My voice breaks as I admit that. I'm surprised I haven't started crying yet. "I hated how hypocritical she was, her offing herself, then telling me I shouldn't. Then I wanted to help her as badly as she wanted to help me. So I tried as hard as I could to keep her happy. When Teacup showed up, I guess you could say I was a little overprotective of her.

"She was there for me when I needed it most. When I tried to give up, she wouldn't let me. I—I just wish that…" my voice breaks again, and I feel my face get wet, "…I just wish I could say thank you."

I guess that's the end of Lauren Cohen's funeral. Sealand gives my hand a comforting squeeze. France comes up for a hug, and I don't hesitate to jump into his embrace. He smells really nice; like cologne. Nice cologne. I smell gross. I probably look gross, too. I shouldn't have those purple bags under my eyes because I've been doing nothing but sleep these days. But I'm pretty sure I still have a black eye from my cut.

Most of the nations clear out immediately after, but a few stay. I don't want to lie down because I've been doing that for a week, so I just sit, watching my bare feet touch the shiny, tiled floor. A pair of shiny black shoes steps into my line of vision. England's voice asks Sealand something, who answers snootily. They argue a little more, and then Sealand gets up, tells me, "I'll be back," and wanders off. England sits down in his spot.

"Hello," he says.

"Hi," I mumble, not looking up.

"Listen, Issa. I know this has been hard on you. It's been hard on all of us. But I know we can do it. Defeat Germany and Japan, I mean. However, it would be a lot easier if you wouldn't bite our heads off every time we try to talk to you…," he says.

"Okay," I say at once, still not looking up.

"Truce?"

"Truce."

"You're okay?" He keeps leaning over, trying to see my eyes.

"Yeah." I don't feel like investing into a conversation. I don't know if I just don't want to talk to England, or if I just don't want to talk to anybody. It's pretty confusing.

"I know that you're not," he says, gently touching my right hand.

I pull my hand away. "No. I am."

He sighs and loosens his tie. "There's so many times when I've asked you if you were fine when I knew you weren't. Do you remember when we met?" When I nod, he continues. "You were so scared. If Jia Li wasn't there, you probably wouldn't have even let me help you…." He just kind of trails off for a minute. "…You wouldn't trust me. Do you now?"

"…I don't know," I respond truthfully. "Yes. There isn't really a reason for me not to."

"What if I told you—and don't freak out at me—that Germany turned himself in four days ago? And I didn't tell you because I knew you would want to hurt him?"

"I don't care," I mumble without hesitation.

"…You _don't."_

"I really don't. If I could understand Japanese, I'd give him a good earful. But I can't. So there's nothing I can do."

"You could hit him," he says.

"Are you encouraging violent behavior?" For the first time, I look up and allow a smug little smile on my lips.

"No, no, of course not," he responds in a way that suggests the opposite. After a minute, he adds, almost like an afterthought, "I hit him when he got here. It felt _really_ good."

"And everyone says _I'm_ the one getting increasingly aggressive." I smirk again, and then look back down and kick my toe against the shiny floor. "You should get yourself checked or something."

He gives a slight laugh. For a lingering second, I feel better. Like nothing bad ever happened. Then I look up and see Lauren's coffin, still looming there. Dimah's leaning on it, silently. I think he's crying. I think I just started crying, too.

"I just can't believe she's gone," I force myself to say though it feels like I'm being choked by some invisible force.

England's voice sounds slightly strangled as well when he speaks. "…She died doing something right. A hero." He gives another laugh, but this one is smothered and a bit weak. "_My_ citizen. A _hero_. I mean, that's not really my area of expertise."

I give a small chuckle and let the smile slide off my face. "I keep thinking she'll show up, you know? Come up and—I don't know, come up and say a Doctor Who reference; she did that a lot. Although, she'd have to tell me when they were references; never seen it…."

"Oh?" he asks, half-serious and half-laughing still. "Like what?"

"I don't know…. A lot of nonsense about—bow ties, o—or fezzes, or—'wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff.'"

He just keeps laughing. "She would talk about that. A—and that one time when she thought there was a Weeping Angel in the garden—"

"—when she swore she heard the TARDIS—"

"—when she'd walk the halls humming the theme song…." We keep laughing at nothing, laughing just to think about her in a non-painful way. But remembering her antics has to stop, and the hurt of her passing stings worse than the injuries inflicted on my body.

England is the first to break down after the awkward silence after the laughing. "I miss her," he admits, plaintively, like a small child. I'm dumbstruck for a few seconds. One usually pictures England as a strong, independent, albeit a little grumpy, tsundere nation who would rather die than show tears. But the nation seated next to me has tears flowing unashamedly down his face as he looks at his hands twisted together in his lap. It's just so out of character….

And, for this month—minus the few days when he was insane—he's been a father figure to me. I looked up to him for advice. He was the first one I'd call when something bad happened. He's done his best to comfort me. But it's him who needs comforting now.

"It's okay," I tell him, patting his shoulder. "I'm sure right now she's having her own adventures in the TARDIS, gallivanting around with the Doctor and stuff. I don't know a lot about him, but I know he's alone, right? She'd be there doing what she does best—comforting him. She's happy now, r—right?"

He shakily nods after a few minutes. "R—right…."

For a few minutes, we just sit there in silence. Then, I lift my arm and point to the IV needle. "I'm almost healed. How long do I have to keep this in?"

He smiles softly. "I'm sure you're fine now." As he takes it out, he whispers jokingly, "I think Lithuania kept it in this long in case he had to knock you out."

I giggle. "I wouldn't be surprised."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dimah's POV

_You don't have to do this if you don't want to,_ Russia reminds me for the thirtieth time as I button up my shirt.

_No,_ I think, _I want to._ I twist my tie around my neck, think for a second, and then I tie it in a bow. Lauren liked bowties. I know I didn't do it right, but.… I should've listened when she tried to teach me….

I wish I could just blur everything out. Go numb in preparation for this event. But I can't. So, I force myself to go and help carry her coffin down the hall and into the infirmary.

The grief makes everything come slightly more into focus. It's—it's hard to explain, really. Like, scraping your knees after a bad fall; the pain blocks out certain things but makes others clearer, you know? That's how I feel. I notice every little detail about pretty much everyone. It's better to think about others than why I'm so sad. All I know is that I spent one minute trying to tie a bow tie and the next looking at the disheveled state of Issa's hair.

England stood quietly and walked to the front of the room. It was quiet other than the sound of his feet on the floor and the occasional sniffle or strangled sob. He ran a hand through his choppy hair and looked forward at the small gathering, standing in front of Lauren's casket, where she lay so peacefully. England let out a loud sniff and took a breath, bracing himself.

"Lauren, as you all know, was my citizen. But she was so much more than that. She was brave, and caring, and a bit crazy—but aren't we all?" He let out a nervous chuckle, and a few people smiled a bit through their sniffling.

"Some of you may not have known all of what she did. She switched places with Issa and willingly got captured by Germany. And she was crazy enough to go back for more. She got tortured and came back here on the verge of death and insanity. She kept it to herself and kept on comforting us. All in all, Lauren was really something, even though she didn't think she was. She acted like she wasn't important but we all know that's a lie. Some of you don't know the things she's been through, but I do. I was inside her mind for a short while and the things I saw—the memories, and the feelings and some of her thoughts were so sad—so much for someone so young to go through…but she kept on smiling. She kept on bringing us joy and comfort. She made us laugh and she made us feel so…"

He'd been tearing up, and now, the tears fell from his emerald eyes, onto his purple shirt, darkening the fabric slightly. "I can't express enough how much I felt like she was my daughter at times, and I still feel like I've lost a child. It's happened often, but this time it wasn't just independence that made me lose a child. At least I can hug old colonies, like America—" His words began to become garbled slightly, "But I'll never be able to hug Lauren again. I'll never hear her voice. I'll never see her smile…I know she wanted us to all be happy, but…" Now, France stood and walked England back to his seat, he himself in tears. England didn't protest.

France was able to calm him slightly, and worked up the courage to go next himself. He wiped the tears from his eyes, adjusted his cloak, and stood tall in front of everyone.

"Lauren was a confusing girl. She would be hugging me one moment and then trying to kill me the next—and I was never sure if she hated me or not. But now I know she loved us all, whether or not she showed it normally. We all know how cheerful she was, and how strange and adorable she could be—and how beautiful her voice was. I can't say I'll miss her abusing me with a corn cob, but I will miss her smile and her laugh, and her jokes and strange remarks. Her singing and dancing and piano-playing—everything. She will be loved and she will be missed." His voice began to break, so he stopped, and went back to his seat, quietly sniffling into a handkerchief.

Everyone was surprised when little Sealand stood up, and went alone to the front of the room, standing tall, and removing his hat. No one had the heart to stop him talking, and it was likely no one wanted to.

"I wasn't close to Lauren, but she was a great girl from what I did know. But what little I did talk to her, she told me to keep believing in myself, and that I would be a nation someday. She told me I would be big and strong as long as I kept trying. She believed in me, and so I'll believe in her—I think she's going to come back, and she's going to put everything right as I've heard she does... just because she's _Lauren_." The childish voice rang throughout the room, as his voice escalated, and tears built up in his eyes as well. "She's going to come back! She's an angel, she'll come back, just like angels do! She'll find a way, I promise you, because she's Lauren! Lauren Cohen, the citizen of a nation, the girl who came and put things right! Always put things right! And she'll do it again…!" He sobbed now, and Finland stood to take him back to his seat next to Issa. She, I noticed, barely looked up the entire thing.

Next, Josh stands up and moves to the front. "I—I, uhm, I kinda knew Lauren. When you" –he points at England—"switched with her, she was in my head for a while. We talked a little—well, it was kind of hard not to when she was in my head. Sh—she was a pretty cool person, y'know. It was nice talking to her…. But then the things she thought about… they were really actually kind of scary…. She thought about death a lot…. Suicide more than homicide, mostly…. She _really_ wanted to hurt Germany…." He stopped and looked back at her peaceful face. As he speaks, he slowly turns back around. "Lauren Cohen didn't deserve to die. And Dimah," –I snap into focus at my name—"no offense, but I'm actually kind of relieved your dad's dead." I give a shaky nod: _none taken._

Then, with an awkward little bow, he sits back in his seat.

Rin raises her hand tentatively. A few nations nod at her to speak, and she does with a hoarse voice. "I—if you asked me if I knew Lauren, I—I'd have to say no…. W—wait, I mean, like, I _knew_ her…but I didn't really _know_ her…." She clears her throat and continues. "I honestly don't know why she took that bullet for me…. I—I've never really talked to her, y'know. If I just—"She stops and shakes her head. "Know what, never mind. Sorry, I—I'm sorry…." Her blonde friend sits next to her and loops and arm painstakingly around her shoulders. Alex strokes her hair.

For a minute, there's an awkward silence. Then, I stand up and move in front of the casket. "Lauren Cohen…," I murmur, "was, is, and forever will be the best thing that ever happened to me. I—"My voice breaks. I turn around and speak more to her than to anyone else. "I wish we had more time, too…." Russia comes up and guides me back to my seat by my shoulders.

America asks something to Issa. After a second, she glances up and nods. Then she goes into a little speech in English that we all just patiently wait through until America, England, and Sealand translate it. It must be scary, being that close to death by your on hand. Lauren had to go through dying. Twice. I wish she could give life a third chance.

Maybe she is. Maybe she woke up again somewhere in—I don't know… America, or somewhere. She said she randomly woke up in Austria the day she killed herself…. Maybe she doesn't remember why she's there, and that's why she's not back yet. Maybe she doesn't remember, and she's starting a new life there. I hope she's happy there, wherever she is….

Our group has disbanded. I walk up to Lauren's coffin and put my hands on the sides. I'm shaking. Really badly. I cover my eyes with one hand and find them wet. Lowering my hand again, I look at Lauren. Her arms are down by her sides, nails painted a shiny black. Over her stomach are these big white flowers with long petals. I don't really know what kind they are; flowers don't grow a lot where I lived. They're really pretty, but they're also kind of sad. I don't know why; looking at them just makes me unhappy. Unhappier than I already am, anyway….

I turn around and leave without a second thought, and I find myself in her deserted room a few minutes later. I don't know why I brought myself here; it's too painful…. With a start, I see on Lauren's bed: her laptop. The one she used, anyway. It's open. The screen is black, though. But it lights up again when I swipe my finger across the keypad.

I click on the _My Documents_ button and found myself clicking through the files on the grey laptop Lauren had commandeered a while back, through all the files labeled in English—files I knew were of her own writing. They held everything from journal entries to fanfiction. One was both. But as I scrolled, and reached the end of the English files, a title written in the Japanese characters I had unconsciously and unwillingly come to recognize caught my eye—"_If I should Die Before I wake-_" I couldn't help but click on it, curious. And I regretted it the moment my eyes scanned the first line.

"_To whom it may concern, this is my last will and testament, I guess. So if you bother with me, here goes my final requests. I'm probably dead if you've read this…anyway, here we go._

_If I so happen to become a casualty, and you manage to re-obtain my body, please don't be sad. If you are sad, I mean—I'm probably not worth being sad over. Just kind of useless, you know…_

_In case you want to bury me and have a ceremony, I'd like to have an input—after all, you're only buried once, right? You only have one chance to say goodbye and I want it to be a good one._

_For the room, if one can be found, I don't want it to be a sad atmosphere. I want yellow flowers all around the room, and maybe a couple of orange ones or red or blue, or purple even—just nothing white, no callow lilies or any other flowers representing death that you'd usually find at a funeral. I want to be remembered, but I want it to be happy memories. I want you to be happy when you think of me, and only remember the good times. Nothing would make me happier._

_Happy pictures, if you want them there. And perhaps a colorful casket. And please don't wear black—wear yellow or a happy color as such. (Just…if Poland has shown up yet don't let him wear pink. Please, __no pink__.)_

_I'd like to be buried in a sky blue sundress, and I want Dimah to have my scarf. I left it up in Issa's and my room. Maybe I could have my hair curled up nicely, and flow round my shoulders or something. Please make the pillow in the casket comfortable—it's important even if I'm just a cadaver._

_As for music, I'd like to have "Hallelujah" played (no surprise there, right?) along with "Never Alone" by BarlowGirl. Because you won't be, no matter how bad things get. I'll be watching over you, just so you know. But not when you're sleeping because that's kind of creepy. Maybe "Hero" by Superchick. The 'Red Pill Mix', please. "Daisy" by Switchfoot, too. This list is getting kind of long… Also, as a last request, I'd like either 'Surrender' by BarlowGirl, "Beautiful Scars" by Disciple or "Life After Death & Taxes" by Relient K—but only the last bit, where it goes "Just never forget, there's life after death and taxes; and forgiveness comes, when all of the rest, it just passes away…(etc.) Death and decay can't touch us now."_

_Alright, then, that's that and stuff._

_My main thing though, is that you remember me. And you remember me happily—don't tear up when you see me in your head, or in your dreams, and don't be afraid to talk about me. Tease me if you like, even—just be happy and stay strong for me. Think of it as my last request._

_Love,_

_Lauren_

_PS: Please make sure France has on his cloak. I love that cloak."_

I felt myself crying but I couldn't really help it. I laughed, though, at the last line—even though she's not here, she always makes me feel better. Then I choked back another sob—we did it all wrong. They brought together a traditional funeral—almost the exact opposite of what she asked for. But through my tears, I find the yellow scarf she would wear and loop it around my neck—there. At least I could get one thing right….

I kept on scrolling, even though I knew if I did I'd just cry harder. I knew that it'd just hurt more, but I couldn't stop myself.

Another file hit my eyes: _"-I Pray the Lord my Soul to Take."_

Knowing that old phrase, and its beginning, I figured this was some sort of part two to Lauren's funeral plans. I opened it and scanned it, clutching my blanket (Lauren once told me blankets were good for shock and other large feels) preparing myself for the oncoming storm.

"_These are my notes to the people I've met so far. If you're reading this, you've read my funeral plans and that means I'm dead or about to die with no chance of recovery. Please have this read at some point of the funeral—preferably near the end when everyone is full of feels and general pain._

_**To Issa:**_

_I realize that because I died, you're kind of left without a source of venting. Well, venting that can turn to sarcastic jokes and expressions of amusement, at least…I'm sure now people will let you lean on them like I did. I'm sincerely sorry for dying, and I'd come back if I could. And knowing me, I just might, but it's unlikely so don't get your hopes up. At the same time, don't let them go completely. If you're ever in trouble, or scared about something, and are having images flash before your eyes of monsters and demons and trolling Germans, just see me stand in front of you with my arms wide open. Cuz even if I'm gone, I'm still here for you to comfort you and protect you. No matter what._

_Anyway, back to the feels. To be honest, I'm not sure how I died. Since I wrote this before going to Germany's, it probably means I died there. But I could've died other ways, like somehow managing to fall down the stairs and break my neck, or slip on an icy patch or something. For all I know, I could've been shot down by a Dalek. But that's highly unlikely unless England summons his fictional characters to come to our aid and he summons a Dalek and it goes crazy. Which, given the circumstance and everything else that's happened, wouldn't surprise me one bit. I died and I don't know how; hope it was a good death, though. Thank you, for everything—the fun, the laughs, the adventure, and the friendship you've given to me._

_**The rest of this is personal and only for your eyes. If you choose to read the above at my funeral, stop with that. The rest isn't for everyone.**_

_I'm just worried about you, though—I know you've tried to kill yourself in the past, and I want to leave you a message warning you not to kill yourself in the future. Or now. I have a few words of advice: Don't commit suicide. Or homicide. Unless you have a cookie and it's France and he's trying to steal your cookie; then the homicide's okay. Sort of. But I'm serious, keep away from the thoughts that might loom through your head or haunt you in your sleep, telling you to cut yourself or kill yourself. Don't listen to them. Listen to me._

_I want you to have a good life, Issa. Have a fantastic life._

_**To Dimah:**_

This part was meant for my eyes only—or anyone who speaks Russian. The letters from my home language smile back at me on the computer's screen.

"_Hush, dearest Dimah, please don't cry_

_I'm gonna sing you a lullaby_

_And if you can't help but weep_

_Just remember, it's my heart you keep_

_Safe and sound with you all day_

_There's just one thing I want to say:_

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

_You make me happy when skies are grey_

_You'll never know, dear, how much I love you_

_Please don't take my sunshine away."_

_Honestly, don't stop smiling and being happy like you are. I know it seems dark now, maybe, but don't worry—everything will be okay. Even if you can't see how at the time, just know I'm not lying—I'm right. You'll have good days and you'll be happy soon. There'll be beauty from pain, though it won't be today. Someday you'll love again, and I'm happy for you that you will. Just trust me on this one and thank me later, because I'm usually right about this kind of thing. X3 And Dimah, never forget that I love you. Never ever forget that. It may not be the last words I speak to you, and it may not ever be heard again from me, but just know it's true. I'll always love you, forever and always, and that's a long time. Keep on smiling and keep on being adorable, because you are. And don't ever remember me without a smile. You're the sun to my moon and the stars to my dark sky. You're my sunflower, and I'll always have you in my heart. I can only tell you how much I love you so many times, but it's infinite and boundless and unending and unfathomable. Just remember that. And remember that it's all going to be okay soon. Don't you worry, don't you cry, someday you'll get to hear your lullaby._

Written again in Japanese characters:

_**To everyone in general:**_

_There'll be days when all the colour turns to grey and it'll feel like there's no solace for the pain. You may be asking for a reason why it's all going so horribly, and the answers will seem so far away._

_But we're designed to hope and long for something more—so hold on because you will overcome. Someday you will rise above the pain and someday grave and death will lose their sting—there'll be no more tears and no more pain, and all your scars will fade away, and only love will remain. Just you wait._

_I may be gone and I may not be the only one who dies, and I definitely won't be the most important, but just know that what I wrote was true. It might've affected you and it might not have, but just know that my death won't be the worst to come if a true, military war breaks out—guns and fighting and armies and more death. Don't let that happen._

_I don't have much other than that to say, other than that I want you all to be happy. Don't be sad. And don't forget me._

_Thanks for the adventure._

_-Lauren_

I nearly shove my fist into my mouth in an attempt to stop the sobbing. The only thing on my mind is, _Why?!_ Why was she so wise?! Why did she have to go and leave this?! And _why_ did she expect us to be happy even when she's _dead_?!

I feel Russia in the back of my mind, vaguely wondering to himself what he should do to console me. His presence irritates me. I'm _tired_ of sharing my head. Then, with a gasp, I stop thinking about him when my entire torso _burns_. Quickly, I roll up my sleeve and look at my arm: the imprints of the scars Father left on me were there for a second; no blood, just redness where they were. Then they fade back to my original skin tone.

_I guess that's what happens when you get mad at me._

_I—I guess so…._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With a start, I wake up. I'm still in my formal-looking shirt and pants, the scarf twisted around my neck. Lying on Lauren's bed, one hand on the keyboard of her laptop. When my eyes adjust to the light that digital clock is letting off, I see it reads three in the morning.

Why am I awake?

A slight sound towards the door makes me perk up my ears. Quietly, I rub my finger over the keypad so the computer turns on, shedding light on what made the sound. My stomach jolts when I realize there's a person right by my door.

Then I realize who exactly the person is.

When the light sheds on her, she freezes and slowly turns around, face scrunched in a "_Crap I've been caught"_ expression. For a second, we stare at each other, her lips now curved upward in a guilty smile—it looks more like a grimace—and my mouth gaping open.

Right as I suck in a gasp so I can shout, Lauren jumps forward and slaps her hand over my mouth. "Please don't scream," she whispers.

I scuttle backward, knocking the computer off the side of the bed and onto the floor. "Y—you're _dead_! I was at your _funeral_! Y—you're—"

"I know, I know!" she hisses urgently. "I'm _sorry_, I just had to see you one more time—"In the dim light, she comes forward, cupping my face in her hands. I—I don't know, she _feels_ pretty solid…! "I'm sorry," she keep saying, "I'm so sorry."

I scramble back even further, terrified, and I let out an overdue bellow before she—what am I saying?!—before her_ specter_ can stop me.

The first person to slam open my door is Issa—shouldn't she still be in the infirmary? She would've had to be pretty close to immediately come to my aid. Anyway, she flicks on the light and stumbles back when she recognizes Lauren.

Lauren stammers things in English at her—that's my point! Issa could still speak Japanese before Lauren died! How did she know that Issa only speaks her native language again?! Before I can figure out that answer, Lauren opens the window and clambers out, disappearing into the night.

For a few seconds that feel like hours, Issa and I gape at each other. We both tried to comprehend what just happened—either we were having the same hallucination, or Lauren's not dead.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sydney's POV

"_**Oh, Sydney,**_" he says in Cutter's smooth voice. "_**What have you done?**_"

I gasp and leap away from the bars. Before I regain the ability to make words, the door behind me opens and some nation's hands yank me out.

"_That's_ what I mean by gold eyes!" is the first thing I am able to say.

"So you mean—"starts England.

"_That's_—_not—Germany,_" I emphasize each word as much as I can. "_Yes_, that's his _body_, but that's not his _words_. That's _Cutter_."

"Who's Cutter?" England questions. When I am about to reply with over-exaggerated sass, he interrupts with, "No, I mean, _what_ is he?"

"He called himself a gold demon," I tell him. "It's in his necklace. The iron cross. That may be what it's called, but it's made out of white gold, not iron." I peek through the one-way mirror at them. "Maybe if we took it off him…?"

England lets me gawk at Germany and Cutter for a minute, and then he herds me back towards the infirmary. I remember about Alex and Rin and launch myself into Alex's waiting arms, not realizing how much I missed them until right now. As soon as he accepts my embrace, I burst into tears.

For the next couple of minutes, we both try to babble what's happened since we saw each other last at the same time, creating a cacophony in the previously-silent room. England keeps trying to make me lie down, but I ignore him and cling to Alex like if I give him the slightest bit of slack he'll disappear forever. The only way they get me to at least sit on one of the free cots is if Alex sits with me.

Finally, England puts his foot down and makes me go to sleep. I'm not _that_ objective—I still make Alex stay within arm's length. But I drift off eventually.

When I wake up the next day, my head throbs from the worn-off sedative, and I feel like vomiting. I just squeeze my eyes tighter and taut my grip on my pillow. For a second, I have to remember if I'm actually clutching a pillow, or if I fell asleep on something/ someone. But no; it's really a pillow.

It's been a while since I've woken up on a pillow. Most days, we—Alex, Rin, and I—would all fall asleep on each other or something. In Germany, before I got sedated, when I was kept in that room by myself with the flashbacks, I hardly slept because of the nightmares I got. When I did, I fell asleep on my arm or something.

For a second, when I woke up, I had the same nagging feeling in my mind from when I was in the room, flashing back. It was awful, that time…. I'd hear voices, and destroy things without even knowing what I was doing, and see things through someone else's eyes…. I thought I was going mad…. I probably did. I mean, I heard voices when I was fully conscious—Alex's and Rin's voices. Screaming. That's why I tolerated the flashbacks, no matter how gory or terrifying they were—they were better than hearing their agonized voices.

"Syd," says Alex's voice softly.

I open my eyes and immediately shut them. "Nngh," I manage.

He laughs quietly. "You're okay, then?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," I mumble. "I'm _tired_."

"Yeah, me too," he says. "Scoot over." His weight makes the bedsprings groan. I wrap my arms around him protectively. This must be amusing to him, because he chuckles and hugs me back.

"You're too skinny," I mumble into his shirt. It's true; I can feel each and every one of his ribs.

"You, too," he comments, giving me a squeeze.

"I missed you so much." The words are hardly audible, but he hears them.

"I missed you too…." For a while, we just lie there and enjoy each other's presence.

"Is Rin awake?" I ask after a few minutes.

"…Well, Rin?" He waits a few seconds. "I don't think so." I giggle, and he continues, "She woke up earlier. Hungary nearly had to knock her out again so she didn't irritate her wounds."

"Aw," I mumble, unsure of what else to say. "So, she's not Japan's lookalike anymore?"

"Nope," he says. "I mean, she still looks like him, but she doesn't have the magic healing powers and telepathy that you and me have."

I can't help but correct him. "It's you and _I_."

"How would you know?" Alex sounds genuinely surprised. "You haven't been in school since, like, sixth grade. That's, like, three years ago."

"I don't even know, okay," I mutter at him. "I just remembered a lot of stuff."

"…You still remember your family, right?"

"How can I forget?" I huff. "I think about them all the time…. Like, have they accepted the fact that we're gone? Oh, I wonder if Danny remembers me at all—he was so small when we were taken—and what about Cesca and Saia? Won't they be in college by now?"

"Saia'd be in twelfth grade," he says. I am suddenly aware of the frown in his voice. "Syd, what's your last name?"

"…Wainwright…"

"What's mine?"

"Velini. Why—"

"What's Rin's?"

"Hiroko. Alex, what's wrong?"

"Well—Rin didn't remember anything about any of our families," he explains. "That's kind of what made her lose control at Japan and stuff…. I mean, that was the conversation we had before she just kind of spaced off. Next thing I knew, she was falling off her chair and screaming for him to get out of her head…."

"...Man, if I were back in Germany now, I'd find Japan and punch him in the face."

_It's not his fault either,_ Germany protests.

_Hey, I can hear you again!_

_**Yeah, and guess who else.**_

I sigh. "I can hear Germany and Cutter again."

"Wait—who's—"

"Germany's demon. It's not actually Germany doing all the bad stuff, it's Cutter. He takes over Germany's body and makes him do evil things," I explain.

"…Oh, okay. Whatever."

Neither of us says anything for a while. "My head hurts," I complain.

"Want a painkiller, or something?"

"I'd rather just sleep it off…."

"Okay, then."

I can't fall asleep for a long time; now that I've got both of them back in my head my mind buzzes with their conscious and subconscious thoughts. So I lie there, listening to Alex's heart beat and feel his chest move up and down slowly, calmly….

After I wake up again and recover from the hangover the sedative brought, Alex and Rin really explain what's been going on here—Lauren's death, lookalikes getting a little too mad at their nations, et cetera. I tried to communicate with Issa a few times, but she was too distraught. I remember when we first got here in Austria: Lauren and Issa were practically inseparable. Her death must've been a real blow to her. I'm not surprised she was angry enough at her nation to break the connection.

Out of respect for Lauren and the memory of her kindness to us when we randomly appeared and threatened to hurt Lichtenstein, I attended her funeral. Rin's tribute for her surprised me: she really does blame herself for her death. Rin doesn't like help; that's something she can't really help. In her mind, she probably thinks she should've taken the bullet like a man, unconscious or awake. It might sound horrible for me to think like this, but I'm glad Lauren protected Rin. I just wish she didn't have to die.

After a while, I realize that I'm actually getting used to being here. I'm getting attached to the people here, nations and humans alike. And I actually feel like staying. I can tell there's going to be a battle soon, a big one. Something big is going to happen. And I want to be there and protect my new friends as well as Lauren protected Rin.

**TADA **

**WHO ELSE IS GETTING SICK OF MY PLOT TWISTS *raises hand* **

**QUESTION ONE: Have you seen Doctor Who? (I just started watching it a while ago. I'm on season four or something, the one with Donna Noble as his companion. AND I FREAKING LOVE IT) **

**QUESTION TWO: Do you know anyone who smells really good all/ most of the the time? **

**RANDOM QUESTION: What room in your house are you in right now? (I'm in my bedroom!)**

**QUESTION FOUR: How easily do you get attached to people?**

**QUESTION FIVE: have you ever thought about planning your own funeral?**

**OKAY yeah that's pretty much it**

**CREDIT TO ART AND SOUL FOR WRITING ENGLAND'S, FRANCE'S, AND SEALAND'S EULOGIES AND THE STUFF ON LAUREN'S COMPUTER luv ya bby ;) **

**Guys guess what I got a puppy~! She's a blue heeler named Ivy. She and my other dog, an English Shepard named Kiki, didn't get along at first, but now they're like mother and daughter. It's so cute to see Kiki disciplining Ivy like she's her own puppy. She'll, like, nip at her neck and knock her down when they're playing and stuff and oh gosh I swear I have diabetes now because its that adorbs (/w\) **

**Okay bye I'll try to update soon**


	25. Transparency

**haha #yolo **

**I've been writing this for so long I forget that I haven't put it up yet and I keep thinking of future events that will most likely not happen and stuff **

**Many thanks to Kitana Lunara, RandomHyperChild, Siri Catriona, Charlotte and Rashka, CelticGirl7, Otakuchan88, hetaliaforever123, Art and Soul, Guest, RandomAnon01, Guest, AkitaNeruWolfLover, xplodingmicrowave (x3 also hi there :D I miss you!) Guest, and Link's Twin! :D **

**Okay guys**

**You know what I love**

**Keyboard smashing and stuff **

**And also spam reviews those are really cool **

Issa's POV

After Lauren's funeral, which took place later in the evening, I decide to celebrate my freedom from the IV needle by leaving the infirmary before Lithuania can freak out and taking a shower. It's kind of difficult because the hot water hurts my injuries, and soap burns them. When I get out, I smell like black tea and raspberries, the scent of the shampoo in the bathroom I found. I dress myself in my clothes, the clothes I wore when America and Canada picked me up from school to make sure Germany hadn't already got to me: jeans, a dark gray camisole, and a blue and red checkered over-shirt.

Then, I'm not sure where to go. I sit on the closed toilet seat and run a brush through my wet hair, over and over, slowly, calmly. I could go back to the infirmary and be fretted over by Liet. I don't think I can go back to my and Lauren's shared room; too many memories I don't want to resurface. I could find a different room and just hide there. Hiding is my favorite option so far. But of course, England would get mad, and Lithuania would get mad, and I don't want anybody else to get mad at me.

I should study some Japanese, that's what I need to do. So, I get up, setting the hairbrush down, and I locate a small pocket book full of useful phrases. For a while, I just sit in the room I found it in, flipping through the pages. I found it in this sort of library room, with tall shelves and cushiony chairs and stuff. It's a cool room, and I mark it down in my memory so I can return to it later.

The door opens, and I jump. It's Sydney, and she looks slightly upset. She looks startled when she sees me, but she clears her throat and nods, removing all expression from her face. "Hello," she says. She has a thick German accent.

"Hi," I respond, trying to smile.

"Can I sit?" she asks, gesturing to the empty ground next to me.

"Yeah, yeah, of course," I respond. She plops down cross-legged, and she pretends to be very interested in the books on the shelf.

"Is something wrong?" I ask after a bit of hesitation.

She pauses, playing with a strand of her hair and staring at her foot. "Yes. But I can't think of words to explain…." After a few moments of thinking, she adds, "Cutter is wrong."

"Cutter," I repeat. "Who's he?"

"He—_nein,_ _it_—is—with Germany," she tells me. "U—um, not _with,_ _in._ Cutter is _in_ Germany." And she gestures to her face, mumbling a bit in a mix of Japanese and English about eyes.

"I understand," I say, nodding, because I do. I think she's trying to describe something like Teacup going in Lauren, like, dissolving and going in through her mouth and nose. I sum up, "Cutter is bad."

"Cutter is bad," she repeats solemnly, nodding. Then she frowns and tugs a little harder on her hair. "I can hear Germany and Cutter… in my head…. I do not like Cutter…."

"You can get rid of him, if you want," I tell her.

"I know that," she responds. "But I cannot leave Germany by himself…."

I nod knowingly. It's kind of like how I was with Jia Li one month ago. The feeling of being trapped because you feel you have to protect someone. It's like swimming while supporting someone. But you deal with it and keep moving because you can't bear to watch anyone else drown.

The door opens again, and Lithuania stands there. When he sees me, he sighs and gestures for me to stand up. I do, and he hugs me. Then he takes my right hand and tries to drag me out, babbling and stuttering in Japanese. I look back at Sydney, and she jumps up and starts following. "He says he was worry for you," she translates.

"Thank you," I tell her.

We end up back in the infirmary, which doesn't really surprise me. Lauren's coffin has been moved, but to where, I'm not sure. I'm not sure I want to know, either. She's…. She's safe now. Nothing else can hurt her….

Lithuania goes on a rant in Japanese, nervously searching through a cupboard for some medicine or something. "Lithuania," I interject, "_daijoubu desu, hontou._" **(I'm fine, really)**

He stops and sighs at me. The only way I can get him to perk up a little is to agree to keep my hurt arm in a sling. I guess it kind of helps, though, because I realize I haven't moved my left arm much at all because of the pain. So it's not bad. It's a little bit itchy, though.

Poland wanders in wearing a pink button-up shirt and white skinny jeans. He jumps on my cot, kneels behind me, and starts brushing my hair. I don't fight him or anything because it feels kind of nice. He's babbling away in his lazy drawl, either not knowing or not caring that I don't understand a word he says. Then, he starts putting tiny braids in my short hair, securing them with these itty-bitty rubber bands. I draw the line when he tries to give me some purple streaks with this bottle of spray-on hair dye. He, of course, complains and pouts at me. So I let him put sparkly stickers all over my sling.

I look at the clock as Poland decides to prey on Lithuania's hair. It's ten-thirty. I guess it's been dark for a while, but I haven't been near a window for a while. Either way, I crawl under the covers and pull them up to my chin, facing the wall. I kind of _have_ to face the wall because I can only sleep on my right side due to my face. As an afterthought, I take off the bejeweled sling because it irritates me.

It takes me a while to fall asleep, what with the lights still on and people talking and my brain running a marathon, but I achieve unconsciousness eventually. Can't say I'm pleased, though, with the nightmares it brings.

I dreamed I was in a long hallway full of mist. I mean, _mist_. It was so misty I could barely see. So I just kept walking. I walked for a long time. Then, I heard footsteps, and a silhouette came into view. I wanted to stop the person, ask where I was, but they wouldn't stop. They started running. So I ran, too. I ran until I had a stitch so bad I had to stop. Then I saw the shadow again, but it was coming closer. When I could see clearly, it was a Weeping Angel from Doctor Who.

Lauren showed me the one Doctor Who episode about Weeping Angels in the past, so I know what they are and what they do: they only attack when you blink or turn your head or look away at all, and then they zap you into the past and let you live yourself to death. I guess that part's not so bad, unless it's painful, getting touched by an Angel. I mean, you still die, but not immediately. You still live in perfect health until you die… before you were even born…? Or something like that…? It's really confusing, but they're scary because they keep coming closer and closer and closer still, making this inhuman snarling face. The trick to beat them is to make them look at each other; they can't, because they'd be stuck forever, being watched by another living creature. That's why they "weep." They're coving their face so they don't make that mistake.

Anyway, it didn't stop when I realized what it was. Wings unfurled, face blank, it glided forward, slowly making its way over to me. When I blinked it jumped forward a few feet. I ran backwards as fast as I could. Then I tripped, and I felt its cold, hard hand touch my arm.

That wasn't the scary part. The scary part was after that. Even my subconscious knew I should be somewhere in the past, but I couldn't see anything. That was the worst part, the waiting in the dark. I mean, I wasn't just sleeping. I was _dreaming_ of darkness. I knew something would happen to me, like I'd get mauled or something, so I braced myself for the pain that wouldn't come.

When I jerk my eyes open, I grasp on to the highlights of what happened before the dream disappears forever. It's hard to explain why that was to terrifying to me. I lie there, staring up at the ceiling, trying to find a word to describe it. _Paranoia_ is what I come up with. It's the not knowing, and imagining, and the darkness mixed together with the gut feeling you'll be in some sort of pain. It was actually me giving myself the pain in that dream by obsessing over it.

After about a half hour, I decide I'm not going to be able to fall asleep again, and I sit up, swinging my legs over the side. My face and arm throb in protest, so I give in and pull the sling over my shoulder, slipping my arm into the pocket it makes. In the dim light, I see Alex, Rin, and Sydney sleeping on three cots pushed up together. Lithuania fell asleep in an arm chair. I take another few minutes before standing up just to make sure I really am awake. Fun fact: that blacking out sensation you get when you stand up too quickly is called postural hypotension, and it's freaking _annoying_.

I get up and start wandering. Roaming around when I can't sleep isn't a habit of mine, since I'm afraid of serial killers jumping out and, you know, murdering me. But there are lights on, and I hear people moving around in the living room and stuff.

Suddenly, I hear Dimah yell. I jump back and accidentally knock over a lone chair. When I regain sufficient comprehension of what happened, I grab reach for the door knob to the room it sounded like he's in, and I stop—

This is Lauren's room.

I shake my head and rip the door open, and I flick on the light. Without thinking about the fact he can't understand me, I blurt, "What's—"And I stop dead, eyes wide.

And I thought going into her room was bad enough.

"I know, I know, I'm supposed to be dead, but I can explain!" Lauren exclaims before I can freak out even more. "Well, right now I can't—I'll tell you later—but I'm dead, so— I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, okay? I'm sorry!" I just stare at her, dumbfounded and terrified. She's still wearing her funeral dress, hair disheveled. She backs up and opens the window—and Dimah and I just watch. I mean, we were at this girl's funeral _today_. She's been legally _dead_ for a _week_. I'm not saying I want her to _stay_ dead, but she's officially died _twice_?! That's just not fair!

There's a few seconds of silence after she clambers out the window. Slowly, Dimah and I make eye contact in disbelief. Because I can't understand half of the people here anymore, I've been practicing reading facial expressions. Like, his raised eyebrows might mean, "Did you just see what I saw?" And I can't help but nod faintly at his silent question.

It's Louisa who comes to our rescue, wearing her trademarked denim jacket over a T-shirt and sweatpants, waving her crossbow around. She looks around and is confused; there's nothing for her to shoot at. She lowers her bow and asks, "_Nani?"_ at Dimah, looking almost disappointed. **(What?)**

He shakes his head, still sprawled out on her bed and tangled in her blanket, and he stutters something about Lauren. "_I—iie, kanojo wa—" _Louisa stammers, trying to be gentle with her words. **(N—no, she's—)**

"_Wakarimasu!"_ Dimah snaps. "_D—demo, L—Lauren wo mimashita…."_** (I know! B—but, I saw L—Lauren…. Guess who's not using google translate booyah this chick I feel so accomplished)**

They argue for a few minutes. Louisa looks like she just wants to give us a hug. Dimah is getting more and more frustrated. I just stand there in shock. I mean, did I see right? Did I hear right? Surely my senses are lying; Lauren Cohen died. Any evidence that she lives is deceitful.

What kind of a cruel joke is this, anyway?! If she really is alive and well, if I ever see her again, I'm going to slap her across the face. It sounds really harsh, considering she was my best friend, but this event is infuriating. It's like when you go on vacation, and you pack your suitcase just right. When you repack it after it's over, it's nearly impossible to close it again. I just had Lauren ripped from my life, and trying to fit her back in just doesn't really work! I mean, I _want_ her to be back, I _want_ her to be okay, but if she does, I don't know if I can get attached to her again…!

Russia was attracted to Dimah's fear, so he appears a few minutes after the Lauren-sighting. A few other countries come, like Spain, Prussia, and Hungary. I think everyone else is sleeping. I just stand there and try to look concerned for Dimah so nobody will make me talk about it; I mean, get England or America or someone to translate what I'd be forced to say.

But Dimah throws me under the bus. I hear my name, and everyone looks at me expectantly. I think about how exactly to phrase the sentence I want to say. "Um… _Lauren wo mimashita, mo…._No, no, that's not right…. _Watashi mo Lauren wo mimashita…?_ I—I can't really—_wakarimasu?"_ **(I saw Lauren, too, is what I tried to write but I think really it would sound to them like "Too I saw Lauren" or some other gibberish like that THAT'S WHAT I GET FOR NOT USING GOOGLE TRANSLATE but Issa knows as much Japanese as I do, so and then it's "I saw Lauren too" or something like that and then "do you understand" and this down here vvv is "Here") **They all just kind of stare at me for a while, so I start a one-sided game of charades. "Okay, Lauren was here—_koko_," I say, moving to where she talked to me, "and then she opened the window," –I do that to prove my point—"and she climbed out and went…." I stop and lean out the window, looking to see where she might've gone. I don't know where she could've gone. I mean, there's a little ledge, but there's no footprints or anything in the snow…. Maybe she climbed up, or something…? I don't know. It's too dark to see.

They must understand at least a little, but they still look confused. I am, too, but I'm eighty-five-percent sure I saw Lauren Cohen's zombie corpse jump out a window. Hungary suggests something, and they all start walking. Spain stops and offers his hand to me. I take it and walk with him. His hands are really warm and soft. I can just imagine Lauren pretending to be jealous; she was a major Spain-fangirl. If she were here, she'd probably take his other hand. Then she'd pause and look over her shoulder at Dimah and blow a kiss at him teasingly. He'd give her a fake glare, and they'd laugh. Then, a little bit too late, he'd catch her kiss and either put it in his pocket or slap himself on the face with it. They had the cutest relationship. They trusted each other so much, had the same sense of humor. They were soul mates, and nobody could say otherwise.

Dimah's changed a lot through this, too. I mean, abusive father, killing machine, stuff like that. And then when he was kidnapped. Josh said he tried to hurt him before he realized he was trying to help. Throughout this time, I've watched his hardness melt. Then, with Lauren…. I mean, it was like nothing ever bad had ever happened to him. And when she died, he became cold and distant again…. I can tell he's trying not to be that way, but that's how it is….

We end up at a room I've never been to. Hungary flicks on the lights. Her closed coffin stands in the back of the room. She opens the top half, and Spain gives my hand a squeeze. Lauren's still in there. Hands by her sides. They removed the lilies that rested on her stomach. She's in the same state she was at the funeral. She hasn't moved.

Dimah isn't convinced. He bravely walks up and grabs her wrist, feeling for a pulse. I can't see his face, but he slowly puts her hand back down by her side. When he turns back around, he shakes his head.

There's a lump in my throat, and I swallow a mouthful of saliva to try to ease it. It doesn't really help. Dimah's certainly distressed, now. Russia puts a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he throws it off. I expect him to fall over, screaming in pain, but I guess he's not mad at Russia specifically. He's just confused and grieving, and Russia was too close at the wrong time.

"_Daijoubu ka?_" Spain asks. I look up at him and nod, giving a small, shaky smile. He raises an eyebrow at me, like he doesn't believe me, and then asks, "_Ginki desu ka?"_ **(Are you okay? Are you happy? Happy is a possible translation, but its basically like are you emotionally okay or something maybe possibly I dunno my last Japanese class was in 8****th**** grade and I only took it for half the year because I moved)**

"_Hai, ginki desu,"_ I reply, thinking back on my Japanese class. "_Anata wa?"_ This in English would have to be something like, Person A: "Hi, how are you?" Person B: "I'm good. What about you?" Person A: "I'm good!" It's just small talk, really.

"_Ginki desu,_" Spain replies with a small smile. I notice he's been eyeing my bedazzled sling. I peel off a sparkly sticker and replace it on his forehead. **(Yeah I think you get what it means now okay I'll shut up)**

Dimah suddenly shakes his head, like he remembered something, and he grabs my wrist and starts leading me out of the room. I let out a small, "Oh, okay," and follow him. Halfway to where we're going, he awkwardly lets go of me, like touching my wrist makes him uncomfortable. I don't really blame him; I mean, all his body language screams someone's missing from his life, and he doesn't want to get attached to anyone else. It's all too familiar.

We end up back in Lauren's room. He crosses the room and picks up Lauren's computer, and then he holds it out to me. I can't read it; it's in Japanese characters. But I see my name in the katakana characters in bold: イッサ. Issa. I copy and paste the text from the bolded symbols for my name and the bolded symbols for Dimah's into a translating website and read what Lauren wrote for me:

_**To Issa:**_

_I realize that because I died, you're kind of left without a source of venting. Well, venting that can turn to sarcastic jokes and expressions of amusement, at least…I'm sure now people will let you lean on them like I did. I'm sincerely sorry for dying, and I'd come back if I could. And knowing me, I just might, but it's unlikely so don't get your hopes up. At the same time, don't let them go completely. If you're ever in trouble, or scared about something, and are having images flash before your eyes of monsters and demons and trolling Germans, just see me stand in front of you with my arms wide open. Cuz even if I'm gone, I'm still here for you to comfort you and protect you. No matter what._

_Anyway, back to the feels. To be honest, I'm not sure how I died. Since I wrote this before going to Germany's, it probably means I died there. But I could've died other ways, like somehow managing to fall down the stairs and break my neck, or slip on an icy patch or something. For all I know, I could've been shot down by a Dalek. But that's highly unlikely unless England summons his fictional characters to come to our aid and he summons a Dalek and it goes crazy. Which, given the circumstance and everything else that's happened, wouldn't surprise me one bit. I died and I don't know how; hope it was a good death, though. Thank you, for everything—the fun, the laughs, the adventure, and the friendship you've given to me._

_**The rest of this is personal and only for your eyes. If you choose to read the above at my funeral, stop with that. The rest isn't for everyone.**_

_I'm just worried about you, though—I know you've tried to kill yourself in the past, and I want to leave you a message warning you not to kill yourself in the future. Or now. I have a few words of advice: Don't commit suicide. Or homicide. Unless you have a cookie and it's France and he's trying to steal your cookie; then the homicide's okay. Sort of. But I'm serious, keep away from the thoughts that might loom through your head or haunt you in your sleep, telling you to cut yourself or kill yourself. Don't listen to them. Listen to me._

_I want you to have a good life, Issa. Have a fantastic life._

I exhale the breath I didn't realize I was holding. When I blink, my eyelashes stick together for a minute, and I let out another small, "Oh, okay," as I realize I'm crying. I re-read the paragraphs over and over again, kind of silently half-laughing, half-crying. I want to read the rest of what she wrote, but I see the katakana symbols in bold under it spelling out Dimah's name, so I know I shouldn't.

I wipe my eyes on my sleeve simultaneously feeling like a weight's been lifted off my chest and like I was just stabbed in the heart. With slightly jerky motions, I try not to shove the laptop off my lap as I get up and walk off without another glance at Dimah. Spain was hovering by the door, and he pats me on the head hesitantly as I walk past him. I look up at him through my streaming eyes, calmly. I think he understands that all I'm going to do is go back to the infirmary and sleep. But he still insists on escorting me there. Spain really isn't as clueless as people think.

As I lie down, Spain starts to leave, but I grab his sleeve and clutch at it. He looks at me questioningly, and I rack my brain for the phrase I memorized a long while ago. "…Um, _ikinaide yo. Kudasai. Soba ni ite…."_ **(Don't go. Please. Stay with me.)** I feel a bit silly, asking him to stay, but he smiles at me kindly and sits in a chair by my head.

"_Nerumasu, nee?"_ he tells me quietly, so that he doesn't disturb Alex, Rin, Sydney, or Lithuania, who sleep where they were when I left. **(Go to sleep, all right?)**

I nod and position myself on my side so I don't hurt my face, simultaneously curling my left arm inward. It's been a bit of a habit, now, sleeping like this. Though, I guess having Spain stroke my hair as I remember I should stop crying and go to sleep because it's three in the morning isn't much of a tendency.

I'm really grateful for Spain. He's, like, the perfect country to go to for emotional support. England will most likely yell—talk sternly, at the very least—at you, and it's like he goes out of his way to pick fights. Don't get me wrong; I love the big goofball. But he's still not a very good therapist. America and Italy stare blankly at you. France is good, too, if you sit him down and explain the gravity of your feelings. Prussia somehow always turns the conversation back towards himself. Switzerland and Austria usually ask how that applies to them; a nicer way of asking why they should care. I dunno, Spain is just a people person…. Maybe this is what Lauren wanted me to do; find someone who's a good listener…. And Spain's been with us this whole time….

Lauren's right. Even though her passing hurts more than words can explain, if I just focus on the good things, I think I'll be fine….

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zack's POV

"So," I say, pulling out the syllable, "he's the big mastermind behind all this." I look into the one-way glass separating me from the supposed evil genius all bloodied up and chained to the wall. He doesn't look evil; just pathetic, really. I mean, he's sitting cross-legged in the corner of the cell in the fetal position. I vaguely remember him from the night of the winter formal; although, he was a lot more threatening then. And when he threatened Josie that one day.

I can only imagine what's going on in this country's head. According to Sydney, Germany wasn't doing all the bad things; it was really some demon-thing named Cutter. But Sydney came back drugged and confused and just generally in a bad state of mental health, so I can imagine England's disbelief. He's never said it out loud, but I can read his expression pretty well. America is open-minded to the possibility of possession, but he can't let go of his skepticism. I'm a bit dubious, too. I mean, the girl is mentally disoriented. She was tortured to the point of near-insanity. Even now, with the sedative put on her worn off, I'm not so sure. Who knows; she might just snap one day.

_It wouldn't be her fault if that happened though,_ America reminds from beside me.

_I know,_ I respond, still deep in thought. America, who is still under the duty of protecting/ babysitting Italy, has a clipboard and pencil in both hands. He's writing notes down about Germany's behavior. Italy is beside me, stock-still and silent, just watching. It's a bit eerie, this silence. Normally, it's nonstop chatter about pasta or some other sort of Italian food, but now, he doesn't even whimper. It really makes you stop and think about him; he may seem dumb and airheaded, but that's just a front. Through study, I've seen Italy's dark side. It takes close attention; there are moments when he stops, just for a split second, like something reminded him about something bad. His eyes melt into an amber pool of nothing. I bet he knows I know, too. He's smarter than he lets on.

His moment ended. Italy looks over at me and asks sadly, "Wh—what's wrong with him? He's been sitting like that for a really long time…." Looking onto America's paper through his eyes, I see he's written down that Germany's been huddled in that corner without moving for at least three hours.

"Sydney said something's controlling him, 'member?" I respond, barely taking my eyes off the window. Italy nods and doesn't say anything for a long while. After maybe half an hour, he sits straddling a padded chair, and he falls asleep. I sit down in a different one, just now realizing how badly my feet ache. For a while longer, I sit there and think about stuff. My mind wanders over to Issa. I know she's kind of mad at me. I'm not exactly sure if it's even my fault or not. It probably is. I just don't even know. I've been kind of scared of her for a while; I mean, I just don't want her to freak out at me.

I finally fall asleep in the chair, my head resting on my hand, elbow supporting my head. America wakes me up in the morning by pushing my elbow off the chair, which results in the bruise currently healing on my head. I throw his clipboard at him, and he runs off cackling.

I figure out it's nine in the morning after I finish fruitlessly chasing America. This makes me have a flashback about America as a kid chasing little Canada. It seems a little bit too private for my liking (mainly because America trips and starts crying while Canada stands there and laughs. Canada is secretly very sadistic, if you ask me), so when he doesn't ask which one it was, I don't tell him. Well. I don't tell/ think it directly to him. He already knows, what with the telepathy thing.

Boredom takes its toll after that. I find a hacky sack and try to just continuously bounce it off my feet. I'm not very successful with that. Josie finds me after a while. She says something about being worried about all the thinking I've been doing. I reassure her I'm fine and kick the little ball of beans at her.

Josie's really good at playing hacky sack. She can not only kick it multiple times, but she can hit it with her elbows, shoulders, knees, et cetera. I, on the other hand, am not so talented. I either miss the ball or accidentally kick it in a different direction and have to look for it. I swear, Josie makes it harder for me to kick it on purpose, which makes me rant on to her in Japanese before remembering that she doesn't speak it.

"I can read your mind, 'member?" she responds, pelting me with the hacky sack. "That means, whatever language, I know what you're saying! And I didn't appreciate that, by the way."

"Ow! Heh, sorry," I apologize.

"No you're not."

"Yeah, I know." The comment earns me an elbow jab to my stomach. "Ow!" I exclaim again. You'd think getting shot there a while back would earn some respect. Josie frowns and punches me again, in my ribs this time.

"You're, like, _buff_," she notices, punching me a few more times.

"Well it still hurts!" I protest, dancing out of her reach. She raises her hands in a gesture of surrender, stoops to pick something up from the floor, and turns around. Then she hurls the hacky sack at me with a cry of, "Think fast!"

I yelp and hold up my hands to protect my glasses, and the ball flies into my palm. "Whoa!" I exclaim. "No, wait, do that again!" I toss it back. She does, and I catch it again. "Your turn!" I exclaim mischievously, and I throw it as hard as I can. She lets out a little yelp and hops out of the way. The ball hits the wall with a loud _thunk._

"_Whoa_," Josie and I exclaim in unison. "I think you cracked the wall!" she adds. After closer examination, it appears I have done just that.

"Super strength, man," I breathe, amazed at my own power. I hadn't noticed I was this strong before, but now I feel the potency run through me like an inferno. For a while, I just stand there, looking at my fingers as I flex them back and forth, wondering, if am as muscular as I feel, how much damage I can do to anyone I please. "Hey, Josie, c'mere."

"No!" she says, half-laughing.

"No, I just want to see something!"  
"Liar!" she responds, giving me a little push. I poke her shoulder as hard as I dare. She stumbles back with an indignant, "Ow!"

I laugh. "This is really freaking cool, man." _You seeing this, man?_

_Yeah. I remember when I found out what I could do. I—_

_I know. You picked up a buffalo and swung it around. _I nod, because that's exactly what I feel like doing. Not necessarily a buffalo; anything heavy I could, I dunno, pick up and toss over my head. An idea pops into my head. _"_Josie, c'mere."

"No," she responds, giggling and holding up her hands defensively. "Don't even think about it."

I pick her up and throw her up over my shoulder, and I'm surprised at how easy it is. She squirms and laughs, and when I put her down she punches me. It still hurts, but not as badly. I go around testing my strength—I can pick up a _couch_. With _one hand_. I wonder how much I can bench!

"That's really cool," a quiet voice compliments from the door. I flinch as I look up to see Issa standing there, arm in a blue sling with sparkly rhinestones on it. She holds herself differently now; it's like how she was when I met her—fidgeting hands, shoulders curled forward only slightly, head ducked so her bangs fall over her right eye. She's shy, wondering how much she can say before Josie and I decide we don't want her here. I do want to see her, though; I'm just wondering how much I can say before I accidentally drive her away.

After a few seconds of silence filled with my awkward staring at her, I shake my head and answer, "Th—thanks. Good to see you out and about. How's your—?" I trail off and flap my hand in her general direction, referring to her arm and face.

"Healing," she responds with a little nod. She looks down at the sling. "The sparkles weren't my idea."

I give a little chuckle. "Lemme guess—Poland?"

She smiles. "Yeah."

Josie looks from me to her, then back to me. She flashes me an impish grin, and then she walks out of the room. I kinda deflate, glaring at her for a second. She wiggles her eyebrows at me.

"…Okay, whatever," Issa says, smiling a bit.

Then it gets awkward. Too awkward. It's like, we're on the same level of awkwardness where we want to talk to each other but we can't because we're afraid of what we'd say. But if I start on a seemingly not awkward topic, I'm afraid she'll think it's stupid, and maybe it's vice versa. But I clear my throat again and try, "I saw Germany."

"I have seen him," she answers. "Not since the World Meeting, though."

"I saw him through America's eyes there," I offer. "He seemed a lot more menacing there than he is here."

"Really?" Issa asks. "What's he like here?"

"He doesn't do much at all. Sits there in the corner of his cell in the fetal position," I say. "It's kind of sad, really."

"I bet," she nods.

"Wanna see him?"

She doesn't answer for a while. "…Sure." She doesn't seem sure, but I'm flailing here. I don't know what to do, really.

The walk there is mostly silent. I try to break the ice with, "So… how're you holding up?"

"I'm okay," she responds. "I'm… accepting things. Adjusting better, I mean." She doesn't mention Lauren, but I know that's what she's thinking about. It's hard to acknowledge the death of a loved one.

We reach the door. I stop with a feeble, "It's this one," and walk in. I see America's little cowlick of hair from the top of a chair in the corner, and I hear him snoring. He's asleep. I didn't know he fell asleep because I was too busy being worried that I'd make Issa mad at me even more.

I look through the one-way mirror into Germany's cell. Issa and I gasp at the same time—

"Italy's in there," I manage through numb lips.

I leap over to where America dozes and shake him. I think I accidentally hurt him a little—I forgot about the super-strength thing. "What?!" he yelps when he wakes up. I point at the Italian in the cell with the mentally unstable psychopathic serial killer. America jumps up and presses a button on the control pad in front of the window. It's an intercom thing, I think. "We have a situation," he says breathlessly into the microphone.

Issa speaks up quietly. "Am—…America…."

"What?" he asks distractedly.

"Y—you're—"She stops and shakes her head, eyes wide. "You're see-through."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Alex's POV

"So, you think you're ready to walk around now?" I ask Rin disapprovingly as she struggles to sit up.

"You think I'm not?" she retorts with an amused gleam in her eyes.

"I don't like it," Sydney mumbles to me as Rin swings her legs over the bed.

"I can walk fine!" she protests. It seems she heard what Syd said. She adds in an undertone, "It's the staying straight part I think I'll have trouble with…." And then, before Syd or I can protest, she heaves herself to her feet. Wobbling a bit, she takes a few triumphant steps around. "See?" I remain frowning. "It's _just_ a flesh wound," she tells me.

"It almost killed you. _Twice_!" I object.

"Yeah. And I got over it." She walks a circle around me. "_Twice_!"

"You can't just _get over _something as serious as this!" Sydney complains.

"Well, I just did!" She spins on her toes and jabs at me with her finger. "_Twice!_" Rin seems a bit too happy at her recovery. I'm worried she'll try to do some gymnastics or something that she can do on a day she doesn't have her chest sliced open and accidentally hurt herself.

"None of the nations will be—"I try, but she interrupts me.

"None of the nations care!" she says. I want to disagree, but it's true. We disappeared once and most of them didn't notice until we came back half-dead. Well, there's Lithuania, who practically lives in the infirmary to take care of Rin and Issa. And Italy, who occasionally makes me feel better. But the rest of them are too busy with their own problems.

I don't blame them; in fact, I kind of like the lack of attention. I may not act like it, but I'm actually kind of shy. I mean, I was tortured for three years because I have some sort of ability to find the nations. I constantly had someone standing guard over me. Lack of attention is nice; I like lack of attention.

Rin looks out of the infirmary window at the long, empty hallway. "I want to run."

"That's not a good idea," Syd reminds her.

"I know," she says. "But I've been lying down for _so long_, and I've just got all this _energy_!" Rin looks more animated than usual; I can see her bouncing up and down on her toes, see the unending liveliness sparkle in her eyes. She's even grinning; she doesn't do that all that often. Smiling, sure, but she doesn't _grin_ often.

There's a difference between a grin and a smile. A smile is something you do when you're happy. Or maybe you're sad and smile just to snow everyone you're okay, even if you're not. But a grin means excitement. It means you're so ecstatic you just can't contain it.

Sydney walks out of the door without another word. I don't know what's gotten into her, and instinct makes me want to stop her. But Rin is about to follow her and run, which will most likely hurt her. So I stay behind, making Rin sit on the edge of her cot. "Rin, let's talk."

"About what?" She's getting annoyed now. I can really see her pent up energy bubbling from her, waiting to escape.

"About— about—"It takes me a few times to think about what she'd be interested enough to stay for. "About home."

This surprises her. I don't think I've picked the right topic because her grin fades to be replaced by an empty look. "Home," she repeats numbly. "What about it?"

"Just—stuff you might not remember." I jump up. "Let's make a list— stuff about home we should talk about—what don't you remember?" After locating a pen and paper from a drawer, I thrust it in Rin's hands. When she hands it back to me, she's written one word: _everything._

"You don't remember anything…?" I ask hesitantly.

"Just what you and Sydney told me." She has her arms folded loosely over her stomach, a sign of being closed to the conversation.

"Well—"Below her neat writing, I scribble out a few words. "House, family, school…." Rin watches as I keep thinking of new things and writing them down.

"You're Rin Hiroko," I say to start off. "You're fifteen years old. You lived in Yokohama, Japan. Sydney and I did, too. Your parents are Mizune and Sasuke Hiroko, and your older sister is Saya Hiroko. You—"I stop and laugh a little at the memory. "You have a little dog named Momo. Momo was a regular troublemaker—oh man, one time we went to this place called—oh, I can't remember it—no, hold on—it's called Kannonzaki, and Momo went _nuts_. She saw this other dog—a bigger one, much, much bigger—and she _challenged _it. It took us nearly an hour to catch her again. After that, we were walking down some stairs—no, I think we were still chasing Momo—anyway, you fell on the bottom step and sprained your ankle. We had to go the emergency room." Rin rubs her hand over her ankle, silently staring at it. She's trying to remember.

The door opens. Lithuania brings in Issa by the hand, and Sydney follows. Lithuania goes off into this rant about how careless she is, how much he was worried about her, how he still thinks she's too hurt to do anything exciting when she protests, "Lithuania, I'm fine, really."She said it slowly, like she's not quite sure she's saying the right thing. Lithuania gives in, but he makes her stay and wear this sling thing.

Rin looks at me, and then at Syd when she sits next to her. "How come—"She stops, and I see her eyes are filled with tears. "How come I don't remember any of that?!" she demands. "It's not fair…!"

"It's psychological," Lithuania speaks up. When we look up at him, he flinches, like he regrets his words. "I—I mean, you were— Y'know. Traumatized. I—it's formerly called psychogenic amnesia, where the subject in question is exposed to overwhelmingly stressful situations and can't remember personal information…." His voice lowered to a mumble shyly.

"But Alex and Sydney—they were with me! How come—?!" Rin stops, frustrated.

"Mr. What's-his-face didn't like to hurt you physically," Syd adds. "He just kind of punched you with his words."

Rin carefully lowers herself down so she's lying on her back with a sigh. If she wasn't hurt, she would have flopped back. "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words give me psychogenic amnesia." If she wasn't so upset by this, I would've laughed.

"You'll remember someday," I offer quietly. She looks at me and smiles sadly: _thanks for trying_, she's saying. Then she painstakingly moves herself right on her bad with an explanation of, "I'm going to bed."

Sydney shoots me a look: _What did you say to her?!_ I pull her over to a corner and explain in a whisper, "I just told her about Momo, and that time we went to Kannonzaki—"

"The time she sprained—"

"—Yeah."

Sydney and I hover over her for a while. We don't have to try to explain to each other why we're so worried for her.

I wake up the next morning because of Italy. He seems… sad. He's about to regret something. _What are you doing, Italy?_ I think to him. He doesn't answer. He doesn't have to. I shoot up and look at Sydney. She's awake, too, staring back at me with horror.

"Hi, Germany," he says, stepping into the room he's being held in. Germany looks up at him wearily. I see the panic flutter in his eyes.

"You need to get out of here," Germany says in a voice hardly audible. "I'm dangerous. I'll hurt you."

"No you won't," Italy protests, grasping one of the bars that protect him from the psychopath. "You're Germany. You're not that thing inside your head—I know you aren't. Y—you can't be…."

"Italy…," Germany growls. "Get out of here. That's an order."

"Sir, no, sir!" Italy objects. Then he gets serious again. He ignores everything I think at him. "Get rid of it, Germany. I know you can…!"

I see Germany's chest rise up and down heavily. "_Please_, Italy. I'm holding him off best I can—"

I can't take it anymore. I can see Germany through Italy's eyes, see him breaking. The monster's gonna come, and Italy will be there. "Someone get him outta there!" I yell without thinking. _Come on, Italy! You're in serious danger!_

"No, Alex!" he protests aloud. "I'm not—Germany's stronger than that! He won't hurt me!"

_Yeah, Germany won't, but Cutter might! If Cutter gets a hold of him, he might hurt you!_

Sydney grabs my arm with a gasp. Through Italy's eyes, I see Germany's blue eyes get more and more gold until they're solid that color. In a voice that is his, but isn't at the same time, Germany says, "Nice to see you, Italy."

**DUNDUNDUNNNNN**

**Hahah i'm so late you all probably hate my guts **

**QUESTION ONE: Is Lauren dead or not? **

**QUESTION TWO: Do you lift weights? If so, how much? **

**RANDOM QUESTION: what is the time at this exact moment that you are reading this question for me it is 9:29 PM**

**QUESTION FOUR: What's the worst way you've been woken up? **

**QUESTION FIVE: Are you good at hacky sack? **

**MY ANSWERS:**

**Only I know that haha actually scratch that even I don't know if she is or not **

**I can hardly keep my backpack on my shoulders each day do you really think I can lift something over my head**

**I answered this one already**

**When my dad thinks he's being funny by turning on the lights and yanking off my blanket if you do that to me there is a 562% chance I will murder you as you sleep**

**Pssssssh no **

**Anyhoo there's that and whatnot **

**I am so bad at updating I swear **

**Okay if I ever take this long to update, do not tell me in a review, literally go to my inbox and type out a thing telling me to get my last butt off tumblr and start writing I promise I will not get offended it actually helps a lot I give you my permission to yell at me I need it sometimes **

**OKAY OKAYOKAY OKAY IMPORTANT THING I MUST DISCUSS **

**I am rewriting this entire thing. I don't like some stuff, and I'm going to leave certain stuff out. I want you guys to just forget that the entire Yami thing ever happened, okay, because when I write it over Yami will not happen. There are some other things I'd like to change but I'm not sure of what right now. **

**I love you all so much words do not describe **


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